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Picking the USS Guardfish

I have always been fascinated by submarines! They are an outstanding engineering and design wonder! I did a lot of research on which submarine to pick for this project and I came across the USS Guardfish story. So, I thought that this vintage Brooks Brothers blue navy jacket was the perfect canvas to celebrate the SS-217.  

Here’s The Wiki Tale of The USS Guardfish

USS Guardfish (SS-217), a Gato-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the guardfish.

Guardfish was laid down by the Electric Boat Company at Groton, Connecticut. She was launched there on 20 January 1942 (sponsored by Mrs. Edward J. Marquart), and commissioned at New London, Conn. on 8 May 1942, Lt. Comdr. Thomas B. Klakring in command.

First and second war patrols, August – November 1942

After conducting shakedown out of New London, Guardfish left that base on 28 June 1942 for Pearl Harbor via the Panama Canal, and arrived there on 25 July to prepare for her first cruise. Her first war patrol was in previously unpatrolled waters off northeast Honshū. Guardfish left Pearl Harbor on 6 August 1942, sank a trawler on 22 August, and two days later sank 3,114 ton cargo ship Seikai Maru off Kinkasan Harbor. Evading escort vessels, she proceeded up the coast and found a convoy on 2 September. Guardfish attacked the next day, sinking 5,253 ton Kaimei Maru and 1,118 ton cargo ship Tenyu Maru. Chita Maru, a 2,376 ton freighter, retreated into the harbor and anchored, but a long-range shot from Guardfish left her beached in the mud. Guardfish returned from her successful first patrol to Midway for refit on 15 September 1942. Read more…

-REMAKE©- Piece

The piece picked for the SS-217 project, is a vintage, men’s ,1960s Brooks Brothers navy blue jacket. The jacket is in great condition with its original black buttons. It only had a small hole repaired. The front zipper was made by the famous Talon maker. 

It’s my philosophy to only make -REMAKE©- pieces by recycling vintage items into new ones. All the buttons were replaced with US Navy anchor buttons to match the theme of the USS Guardfish. 

Painting of the USS Guardfish

Through my research, the USS Guardfish was an expert hunter for Japanese cargo ships in the Pacific. So, I decided to paint a stormy night mission where a cargo ship was sunk by the SS-217. Since this is my first submarine painting, I paid close attention to details such as light reflection and the submarine details. Of course, this is a one of a kind art piece on a very special vintage jacket! Wear the USS Guardfish’s tales of courage with pride! 

Hand painted Liberty Cuffs and Patches

Patches are extremely important in all my projects. For this project, I decided to directly paint the patches on the jacket itself. 

1. The USS Guardfish Insignia: on the front left top side of the jacket, I hand painted the original WWII insignia of the SS-217 and later distressed it with a brown coat.
2. The US NAVY stencils: There are two US NAVY stencils, one on the back of the jacket and one on the front left top side. They have been both distressed with sand paper and painted with a brown coat for an old look!
3. The WWII Navy 1st Class Torpedoman’s Mate Patch: was fully hand painted on the left the shoulder sleeve. It was distressed with sand paper and was coated with the brown coat for an old finish!
4. The US Navy Liberty Cuffs Submarine Dolphins: on each outer cuff, I hand painted two distressed cuffs. Each cuff is a bit different from the other. I made sure one looked more worn than the other. Again, it’s not about perfection, it’s about art! Both were distressed with sand paper and a brown coat for an old look! 

Hand Painted Label

This USS Guardfish jacket has its unique label stencil that was painted inside the jacket with its unique serial number. It was all painted in white.

Even the labels for the jackets are unique. I printed the paper labels with the USS Guardfish insignia. The labels were aged and weathered by hand, because at 88th Company it’s all about attention to details!

Hand Painted Packaging

Packaging is the last and most important part of the design process. Since all my items are all hand painted, it’s only natural to have the same method applied to its packaging.
On a beautiful large brown bag, I spray paint the 88th Company logo on a custom stencil. After inserting the custom item inside the bag, it is folded and closed with a vintage twine string. Finally, like a top secret letter, the string knot is sealed with a custom wax seal.

Certificate

Each one of kind piece will come with a certificate personally signed by me and with its serial number. It is a proof that your item is a unique art piece, that no one will ever have! The certificate itself is hand aged and your name your will be written by hand in Japanese ink. 88th Company goes the extra mile to give you the most personally customized service.

Free Shipping

This item receives free shipping anywhere around the world through DHL express. However, taxes may apply from your country’s customs. So please, make sure to contact your local customs for informations.