Higher profile to suit submariners to a tee

Every qualified member of the UK’s elite underwater force is being issued with a Submarine Service branded high performance technical sports T-shirt by a leading naval charity.

The Greenwich Hospital has funded the design and purchase of 5,200 branded lightweight, multifunctional base layers for every man and woman in the Submarine Service who has earned their dolphins.

To qualify as a submariner, sailors must first demonstrate an intimate and instinctive knowledge of more than 30 complex engineering systems, which operate their nuclear submarine and keep it and its crew safe.

Those who are successful are then awarded a dolphins badge on their uniform – the T-shirts are branded with this 115 year old emblem.

“These high quality garments have been designed to help shake off our reputation as the ‘silent service’, by signalling a submariner’s membership of our highly trained body of professional comrades,” said Commander Darren Mason of the Royal Navy’s Sustainable Submarine Manning Programme.

“We hope that they will raise the profile of the Submarine Service by improving their visibility of our personnel within naval bases, naval training schools and by our people attending public events around the UK.” 

Submariner Able Seaman Logistician (Steward) Danielle Skinner said, “I really like the shirt, it is really light and comfortable. This style of shirt is really fashionable just now – I’ve seen something similar in Topshop!”

Able Seaman Warfare Specialist Vincent McCall added, “It’s great to have something that visually makes us stand out a bit more from the rest of the fleet.”

The design and technical specification of the 85% nylon and 15% spandex garment was selected in part to support submariner’s mandatory three hours of sport, adventurous training or physical education each week.

The T-shirt is available only to qualified submariners, and is not for public sale.