US Navy Mk II talker helmet

Large, to allow use of headset
Mk II talker helmet
The US Navy Mk II talker helmet
TypeCombat helmet
Place of originUnited States of America
Service history
In service1942–1980s
Used byUS Navy, US Coast Guard[1]
WarsWorld 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]

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 the largest helmet ever used in US service. [2]

Gallery

  • The US Navy Mk II talker helmet, worn by the sailor in the rear-center of the image; The two sailors in the foreground wear the M1 helmet
    The US Navy Mk II talker helmet, worn by the sailor in the rear-center of the image; The two sailors in the foreground wear the M1 helmet
  • Modern Mark 4 talker helmet
    Modern Mark 4 talker helmet
  • Modern talker helmet worn by a gunner
    Modern talker helmet worn by a gunner

References

  1. ^ a b c d "The Price of Freedom: Navy Talker's Helmet". amhistory.si.edu. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
  2. ^ a b c d "USN Talker Helmet - TALKER'S HELMETS [REF]". U.S. Militaria Forum. Retrieved 2019-10-28.
  3. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b "US NAVY TALKER HELMET - PROTECTION FOR THE NERVES OF THE SHIP". A War to be Won. 2016-07-27. Retrieved 2019-10-28.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Talker helmet.
  • Are Navy Helmets Bulletproof? Battleship New Jersey, Youtube - Show and tell video of M1 helmet and US Navy Mk II talker helmet
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