7 The new insignia would be in silver for those warrant officers who had 20 years seniority in grade, and in gold by others. The uniform regulations of 1883 introduced different devices for each warrant specialty. In October 1878 warrant officers and paymaster's clerks were authorized to wear the new service coat, with the same devices on the standing collar as were worn on the frock coat collar. It would be pattern for officer's service dress for more than forty years. 5 More military in design that the civilian-derived sack coat which it replaced, it was trimmed with black mohair braid and had a standing collar with rank devices. In January 1877 a new service dress coat was introduced for commissioned officers of the navy. Mates and clerks wore single-breasted frock coats rather than double-breasted. To distinguish the different specialties, boatswains' shoulder straps were to have a silver 'B' in the center and carpenters' a 'C' while the other two officers' straps were to be plain. Carpenters and sailmakers wore plain sleeves. Boatswains and gunners, as line officers, were to wear the newly-introduced star on the lower sleeve. 2 On the navy blue frock coat – the everyday dress of the naval officer – the warrant officers were authorized to wear shoulder straps of plain gold lace, three-quarters of an inch wide. The Civil War brought many changes to the Navy's uniforms, and in 1864 regulations appeared that were the first to authorize insignia that would distinguish the different warrant officers from each other. Though masters' mates (later simply mates) were not always appointed by warrant, their uniforms were generally regulated similarly to those of warrant officers, and so will also be considered here. The first regulations to differentiate the different warrant ranks were those of January 1864. 1 Period photos indicate that plain frock coats were commonly worn. In the uniform regulations of 1852, warrant officers were authorized to wear gold-laced buttonholes on each side of the collar for full dress, but nothing was said about undress uniforms.

Navy (boatswains, gunners, carpenters and sailmakers) were distinguished for many years by plain, unadorned uniforms without the insignia and trim of commissioned officers. The original warrant officers of the U.S. Uniforms & Insignia | Ranks & Organization | Misc.

Warrant officer uniform civil war navy