WWII Naval Sea Bag: Artifact Friday

Traveling through difficult conditions or places can be a drag that leaves you tired and run through. Travelling comes with many different factors, such as your baggage. In World War II, naval forces carried around a sea bag while they were aboard battleships and aircraft carriers. These sea bags were heavy-duty canvas gear bags that were standardized within the U.S. Navy. These bags have carried the personal items, small luxuries, and every possession a sailor could hold onto while aboard a battleship. The bag hasn't changed in over 200 years; before the sea bags, sailors carried wooden sea chests. Commodore Edward Preble, who could not stand the clutter of the sea chests, ordered the change of the chests to the now iconic bags. These chests took up precious space on these ships, so the chests were abandoned for a more efficient solution. Originally, these bags were painted black and could be shoved into any corner, allowing for much more room for soldiers in the already condensed space. Sailors started to decorate their own bags as well; some would put their name and unit, and others would fully decorate their bags and paint a cannon on them. Sea bags were right at 36 inches long and a diameter of 13-20 inches. Sailors learned to condense their living to this one bag, including their hammock in which they slept, which got carried around the world with them. The top of the bag was secured with a drawstring, and it became reliable in a time when the world was in chaos. After World War II the sea bags got revamped into the now-modern version of the drab green sea bag. These are now the bags used by sailors today in the Navy. This bag itself was used by Rudolph Stromsky during World War II and is used within our collection as a valuable artifact that shows the intense living conditions that sailors endured. Within our Navy display, it sits right next to a sailor's uniform that shows the bond between the two pieces of history that we have.