US Navy Mk II talker helmet

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Mk II talker helmet
"Richard Salter, CK 3-c, a talker of a gun station, aboard the U.S.S. Tulagi (CVE-72) off the coast of southern France." - NARA - 520858.jpg
The US Navy Mk II talker helmet
Type Combat helmet
Place of originUnited States of America
Service history
In service1942–1980s
Used by US Navy, US Coast Guard [1]
Wars World War II
Production history
DesignerBeaver Edwards [2]
Designed1942
ManufacturerMcCord Radiators Company [2] [3]
Specifications
Width28.6 cm [1]
Height21.6 cm [1]
Diameter32.4 cm [1]

The US Navy Mk II talker helmet was a combat helmet used by the US Navy from the Second World War and into the 1980s. [3] [4]

Contents

History

In 1942, the US Navy decided to commission a special helmet for sailors posted on decks and tasked with transmitting orders by sound-powered telephone. The new helmet was to protect "exposed deck personnel" and accommodate a telephone headset; furthermore, it had to be usable while wearing a gas mask and binoculars. [2]

The helmet was made of non-magnetic Hadefield manganese steel. [3] Designated "USN MK-2", [4] was at the time largest helmet ever used in US service. [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Price of Freedom: Navy Talker's Helmet". amhistory.si.edu. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "USN Talker Helmet - TALKER'S HELMETS [REF]". U.S. Militaria Forum. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
  3. 1 2 3 Gentile, Mannie (2015-03-20). "Mannie Gentile: Combat Helmets of the 20th Century: US Navy Mk II talker helmet". Mannie Gentile. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
  4. 1 2 "US NAVY TALKER HELMET - PROTECTION FOR THE NERVES OF THE SHIP". A War to be Won. 2016-07-27. Retrieved 2019-10-28.