Black Shoes and Brown Shoes: Beyond the Flight Deck of an Aircraft Carrier (2024)
After Air & Space came out with its Carrier: City at Sea collector’s edition in 2019, I opened a letter from Kevin O’Brien, a Navy veteran whose first tour began in 1979 aboard USS Nimitz as an electronics technician. Despite having written dozens of articles about aircraft carriers, I’d never been on one at sea. I worried he’d tell me what I’d done wrong. Instead, he pointed out what I hadn’t done.
“I was disappointed you focused almost exclusively on the temporary, visiting air wing and flight operations,” he wrote, “with virtually no attention to the ‘black shoes’ ”—the ship’s company of several thousand sailors. “Black shoes ARE the carrier, and the brown shoes that return to a land base after a deployment are visitors. It’s too bad this doesn’t seem to be understood or appreciated.”
Duly chastened, I embarked last month on USS Gerald R. Ford while it moored for maintenance at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, and later flew by C-2A Greyhound 100 miles offshore to USS George H.W. Bush. My purpose was to immerse myself in what happened beyond the flight deck and hangar bay, and to ask the sailors if life aboard a carrier is shoe-color blind.
The term “brown shoe” dates to 1913, when Naval aviators adopted brown leather shoes to hide an airfield’s dust, while sailors on ships with plenty of tar and coal wore black shoes. In 1976 the requirement to wear brown shoes was struck from regulations, but a petition by aviators revived them in 1986, when the Navy’s All Hands magazine declared “Brown Shoes Are Back.” Today only pilots wear brown exclusively, but the U.S. Naval Institute reminds its 86,000 Twitter followers that “shoe color marks a cultural divide,” and each December 4 emphasizes the distinction with Wear Brown Shoes Day.
Everyone I met on Bush acknowledged the difference between airmen and seamen and are well aware of the different communities in a crew of 3,200 peopleat the time I was aboard (up to 2,500 more when the full air wing is deployed). But few dwell on the separation between black and brown shoes. Rating and rank are more important. And all say that despite a low-key rivalry between different traditions and uniforms, it never distracts from the common goal to launch and recover aircraft safely and effectively.
Aboard Bush, Assistant First Lieutenant Jesse Gazur says that as boatswain mates, helmsmen, and navigators, “black-shoes steer the ship and find the winds.” Reactor Officer Captain Jim Von St. Paul calls his 500 black-shoe sailors “the life blood of the ship. Without them the ship would have no steam to launch aircraft, no lights, no water to drink.”
As command master chief (CMC) aboard Bush, black-shoe Ronald Glass is the most senior of the ship’s 400 chief petty officers, and fills one of the ship’s top three roles alongside its commanding and executive officers. “I don’t think there’s a clash of cultures, brown shoes versus black, there are microclimates,” he says. “In any organization you have tribes, people flock to communities even in their off-time. You work in Weapons and you gravitate toward people in Weapons.”
O’Brien probably says it best. “Take away the ship’s company and the ship is useless, dead, missing its eyes and ears or its ability to move or operate its built-in defenses. But when it comes to fighting a common enemy, we fight back to back. Brown shoes, we maybe say that with a wink. Sailors are sailors and we’re brothers and sisters.”
"Black shoes" denote the ship's permanent crew, while "brown shoes" refer to pilots visiting temporarily before returning to land post-deployment. Despite a subtle rivalry and varying traditions and uniforms, both groups share the overarching goal of safely launching and recovering aircraft.
Any “Surface Navy” officer or CPO. The term comes from the black shoe worn with khaki uniforms and was distinguished from the brown shoe worn by aviators. Today, it is often used to also refer to all enlisted personnel in non-aviation career fields.
The term “brown shoe” dates to 1913, when Naval aviators adopted brown leather shoes to hide an airfield's dust, while sailors on ships with plenty of tar and coal wore black shoes.
Currently black and brown oxford shoes are authorized for all officers and CPOs, though traditionally brown shoes are worn only by aviators. Females are authorized to wear the same over-blouse as junior enlisted sailors. The uniform is also worn by cadet officers and cadet chief petty officers in the Navy Junior ROTC.
Typically, brown shoes are a timeless classic that pairs well with a navy blue suit. However, black dress shoes and even ivory dress shoes are great options depending on the event, season, and venue.
Footwear. Authorized footwear worn with the NWU Type II is the Navy certified desert tan or brown rough-side out boots (including optional American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved safety boots). Smooth black leather and rough-side out boots are also authorized.
Because the narrow, no-frills sneaker slips easily into dive fins, Chuck-wearing frogmen don't waste time changing out of traditional scuba booties and into shoes after swimming to shore.
“The bathroom of a maritime vessel is known as the head because of its location aboard vessels in the bow or fore of the ship, as explained by the Naval Heritage and History Command. The term first appears in 1708 in Woodes Rogers' book, “A Cruising Voyage Around the World.” Source Ask.com.
It's a Naval Aviation thing. “Shoe”, or “black shoe”, refers to the color of shoe worn with a Chief Petty Officer or commissioned officer's khaki uniform. Surface fleet officers and Chiefs wear black shoes with their khakis, while naval aviation CPOs and officers wear brown shoes.
If there's any rule for wearing brown dress shoes, it's that you shouldn't mix them with black. While there are some rare exceptions, it's best to avoid it altogether. This means black suits, belts, socks, pants, shirts, coats, and ties are off-limits when you're sporting brown footwear.
Closed-toe shoes, like loafers or deck shoes, are favored for their comfort and support during vessel navigation. The importance of maintaining clean and scuff-free shoes cannot be overstated, contributing to an overall polished appearance.
A navy suit is unbeatable here, as it's classic and assured, without being loud. The best shoes to wear with a navy suit are black, navy or cognac: keep within these tones for a foolproof office look. The most understated option, black will always look sharp with a navy suit.
Dark brown Oxfords or Monk Strap shoes complement a navy suit and trousers look perfectly and are appropriate for more formal settings. You can also wear dark derby shoes. You can never go wrong with wearing a white button-down shirt and navy tie with a navy suit and dark brown shoe look.
Traditionally, Naval aviators wear brown boots with their flight suits and brown dress shoes with their service khaki uniforms. Surface Warfare Officers will almost always wear black boots/shoes in uniform. Aviators will often refer to Surface Warfare Officers as “Black Shoes”.
Introduction: My name is Stevie Stamm, I am a colorful, sparkling, splendid, vast, open, hilarious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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