Each of the four rolls of lacing in our four-stripe set for Merchant Marine uniforms measures 30 inches, which should provide with plenty of to create a stripe on both sleeves of a uniform jacket or coat. While most people think of gold when they think of naval sleeve stripes, we also offer silver lacing to reflect that color’s popularity among Merchant Marine companies.
Stripes are attached with 1/4-inch between adjacent stripes and 2 inches spaces from the bottom of the lowest stripe to the end of the sleeve. Department devices (anchor, propeller, crescent moon) are sewn on 1/4-inch above the topmost stripe.
On Merchant Marine vessels, four stripes are typically reserved for the Captain (also referred to as Master), which happens to be the name of the corresponding four-stripe rank in the Navy and Coast Guard. But four stripes might also be worn by the head of the Engine (Chief Engineer) or Catering (Purser) Departments—it all depends upon the policies set up the company that owns the vessel.
Note: The gold stripes may be worn on U.S. Maritime Service uniforms, but Merchant Marine stripes do not include configurations equivalent to Lieutenant (junior grade) or Lieutenant Commander. We recommend USMS customers visit our Navy Lacings page for a complete array of lacing sets for ranks O-1 to O-10.