Life Preserver, Vest Type MK-1

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History

The Life Preserver, Vest Type, U.S. Navy, Mark I was a standard and mandatory item of safety equipment worn by personnel operating on the flight decks of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and other aviation-capable vessels. Entering service during the early 1970s, it remained in use until the late 1990s.

The Life Preserver served two functions aboard ship: as an identification marker that allowed personnel to be quickly recognised by their flight deck role, and as a flotation device should the wearer fall overboard. To aid recovery, the vest was also equipped with a range of signalling devices.

The Mark I consisted of two major components: a colour-coded outer cover and an inflatable bladder. The cover was manufactured in a range of colours, each corresponding to a specific flight deck occupation and allowing personnel to be quickly identified on the crowded flight deck or from the carrier’s island control tower. Housed inside the cover was the Bladder, Flight, DK, a single-compartment inflatable bladder inflated by a dual CO₂ inflation assembly. Activation was achieved by pulling a nylon lanyard attached to the inflation mechanism, which inflated the bladder within seconds and provided approximately 15 kg (29 lb) of buoyancy.

The vest was available in nine colours, with each colour representing a different flight deck occupation. White was worn by phone talkers and medical personnel, red by ordnance personnel, green by catapult and arresting gear personnel, blue by aircraft handlers and tractor drivers, brown by aircraft captains and maintenance personnel, yellow by flight deck officers and aircraft directors, and purple by aviation fuel handlers. Safety orange and grey examples were also produced for non-role specific duties.

Examples were fitted with pouches for carrying an SDU-5/E Distress Marker Light and AN-M59 Sea Dye Marker. Early examples utilized separate attached pouches, while later examples incorporated dedicated pockets fabricated directly from the vest material.

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Description

The vest was available in three sizes, small, medium and large, and was fabricated from cotton cloth dyed in one of the nine colours associated with flight deck occupations.

The vest is of double-ply construction and is open at the lower left and right corners, allowing a hand to be inserted to pull the bladder wings into position when fitting the bladder to the cover. A small patch of hook and loop tape is fitted to the left side to secure the bladder wing once installed. The raw edges of the vest are protected by olive green binding tape.

The front of each shoulder is fitted with a vertical strip of reflective tape approximately 19 mm long. The vest closes at the front by four blackened metal dome fasteners.

The left shoulder is fitted with an angled pouch for carrying the SDU-5/E Distress Marker Light. Positioned below this is a larger pouch for the AN-M59 Sea Dye Marker. Unfortunately, both pouches have been removed from this example, although evidence of their original attachment remains visible.

The left front of the vest incorporates a vertical fabric channel that secures the bladder’s oral inflation tube in an upright position, allowing the wearer to manually inflate the bladder if required. Below this is a circular opening through which the inflation tube passes from the interior of the vest.

Positioned beneath the inflation tube opening is a protective fabric cover lined with thin closed-cell foam. The cover is sewn along the leading edge and top and is secured on the trailing edge by two metal dome fasteners. Beneath the cover is a vertical opening closed by two additional dome fasteners. A horizontal retaining strap sewn at both ends secures the bladder’s CO₂ inflation actuator in an upright position.

The waist of the vest can be adjusted by short webbing straps fitted with metal four-bar buckles on either side.

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Examples

Example One

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