<P> This short - lived uniform for officers and CPOs was only authorized from 1943--49, but was a common sight on the East Coast and in the Atlantic / European Theater during World War II . It was identical in cut and material to the Service Dress Khaki uniform but medium gray in color with black buttons, worn with a matching gray shirt and garrison or combination cover . Officers' shoulder boards were likewise gray, with stars / corps insignia and rank stripes in black . "Working grays" were the same uniform worn without the jacket and tie . The gray uniform was introduced by then - Chief of Naval Operations Ernest King, who thought khaki was more appropriate to land forces; Admiral Nimitz disliked it and discouraged its wear in the Pacific Fleet . </P> <P> From 1893 until 1975, Chief Petty Officers wore a Service Dress White uniform consisting of white cotton trousers and double - breasted reefer jacket with black necktie . Rating badges and service stripes in black were worn on the left sleeve . This uniform was also worn by members of Navy bands regardless of rank . Officer - pattern whites were authorized for CPOs in 1981 . </P> <P> Dungarees were the junior enlisted (E1 - E6) working uniform worn from 1913 through the 1990s; through World War II dungarees with a garrison or combination cover were also worn by CPOs engaged in dirty jobs . Unlike later working uniforms, dungarees were not allowed to be worn outside of military installations; service members were allowed to wear the uniform to and from the installation in a vehicle, but were not authorized to make any stops between while in the dungarees . In fact, until World War II dungarees could only be worn in port in ships' interior spaces, below the main deck or inside gun turrets . </P> <P> Dungarees consisted of a short or long - sleeve blue chambray shirt, white T - shirt, and bell - bottom denim jeans (the jeans in question had heptagonal "patch" pockets sewn on the front of the pant - legs rather than the traditional "slash" pockets often seen on civilian - worn jeans). Head gear was the white "dixie cup" cover for men and an early form of the black garrison cap or a black beret for women; after graduation from boot camp, the command ball cap was optional (and in practice more common). Starting in 1995, the white hat was no longer authorized for wear with dungarees, and the command (or Navy) ballcap became the predominant cover . During cold weather a black watch cap was allowed . </P>

When did the navy get rid of dungarees