This classic coat has become universally known by the name, “Pea Coat," with the
coat design and its original application dating back to the early 18th century.
The name, it is said, originated from the Dutch word "pijjekker,” in which “pij”
referred to the type of fabric used for the outer shell. The “pij” fabric
translates in English as “pilot cloth” or, more simply, “p-cloth.;” the “pilot”
of a ship or boat being the original crewman identified wearing this coat
design. The Pea Coat was adopted by many European navies, especially those of
the British and Dutch, and it was eventually issued by the US Navy as early as
1881, becoming standard issue to all enlisted ranks in the early 20th century,
and while the exact date when the US Navy adopted the pea coat is not clear, it
is known, however, that it was already supplied as a duty coat for petty
officers during WWI. The US Navy’s original Pea Coat was fabricated from heavy,
32-ounce melton wool and, up until the late 1930’s, featured black bakelite
buttons displaying an anchor surrounded by 13 stars; the 13 stars were derived
from the original 13 states when the United States became an independent nation
and broke its ties to England in 1776. The large-sized collar of the coat was
designed to block strong ocean winds and the corduroy-lined side pockets helped
thwart the numbing effect on hands from the biting winter seas. By the 1940’s,
officer’s coats were redesisgned and the heavy melton wool was relegated only
for the enlisted ranks’ Pea Coats and the 13-star buttons were changed to the
fouled-anchor design still employed to this day.