Featured US NAVY NAVCOSSACT "NAVAL COMMAND SYSTEMS SUPPORT ACTIVITY"

Is this called an insignia, emblem, unit patch, logo, or something else?

I'm trying to find out how long this design was used and historical info regarding NAVCOSSACT.

It has something to do with electronic or computerized information gathering or distribution as far as I can tell, and seems to have been renamed multiple times. I'm having a hard time piecing together the little snippets of info I can find.

Putting the above pic into Google image search only returns one hit.
http://navcompars.net/bh/i_navy.html

The mug was made approx. 1967 according to the maker's mark on the bottom, which is the year Mt. Clemens Pottery bought McCoy Pottery and used this MCP USA with pitcher logo for one year....1967 only. So this would have been made in the Vietnam War era.

 

That group had bunches of programmers, computer system analysts, and Navy data systems technicians. They developed computer systems and software for other Navy activities. HQ was in Washington, DC., at the Washington Navy Yard. If you want more detail just email one of the ex's listed online via their websites listed.

 

That's what they said they did. The clue is the envelopes on the logo. They folded the orders, put them in envelopes and mailed them. In order to avoid paying them much, mail clerk is not a highly skilled group, the Navy gave them a fancy name and emblem so they could pull impressionable girls.

 

I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. I don't know why I need to know every nitty-gritty, nit-picky detail about every doo-dad I bring home, but I want to know the beginning and end dates this emblem was used.

I didn't perceive those rectangles as envelopes until you pointed that out. Seriously, that's what they're supposed to be?

 

If the Navy had an Envelope Stuffing Officer at that point, it wouldn't surprise me one bit. Probably a Pentagon post!

 

Every military unit sells stuff with their logo on it. Trust me. I live in the House of Seabees. Towels, mugs, glasses, etc, etc.

 

I was the command from 1968 to 1971. Cups must have been made when command was started.
If ypur intetested in selling it let me know.

 

Hehehe, good one, but he’s joking as usual. The orange thing is a computer tape reel which usually has the nearly rectangular holes in it so you can tell how much tape is on it. The crosses are the intersections of electron orbits.

Envelopes! Good one AF!

 

It seems they got sued by some 'impressionable girls'. Footnote 8 gives Justice Stevens' opinion of NAVCOSSACT's behavior. Plus ça change…

 

Or boys, since the Navy is now pretty much integrated you old fogey! LOL

 

I don't know if you still have any interest in this old thread, but I worked at NAVCOSSACT (Naval Command Systems Support Activity) from 1969-1973. During that time, the building had various computer facilities on each of its four floors. The fourth floor had a large UNIVAC computer which was used to support the development of the nuclear battle plan. I started on the second floor, which had a smaller CDC computer used for training repair technicians. I graduated from the class and stayed on as an instructor. A year later, the school was moved to Norfolk, VA and I was reassigned to a support unit for Naval Telecommunications. More than half of the building was offices for managers, software engineers, and support personnel. The command was led by a Navy Captain and a PL-303 (now Executive Service) civilian. There were 6-8 working divisions. I was in 90, which was the support organization for Naval Telecommunications. Another large system in the building was the WWMCCS:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldwide_Military_Command_and_Control_System

I think that logo was still seen in the early 1970s, but there was another subsequent logo used afterwords. Most of the people I worked with had retired by the 1990s.

I was the lead designer for the Navcompars. I was onsite in Norfolk, VA when we turned on the first system. Today, we would call it an email server. Then, it was called a "store and forward message switching system" that was connected to AUTODIN for local delivery to the Naval Station and ships afloat. The computer was an RCA Spectra 70/45, which was similar to an IBM 360/40. It was a large mainframe that required a computer room to hold it. You can read a lot here:
http://informationtechniciantrainin...ications-Processing-And-Routing-System-25.htm

The central part of the logo is a reel for half-inch magnetic tape (these reels were about a foot wide). The rectangles are holes in the metal reel which were typical of that technology. (They are definitely NOT envelopes, as a joker suggested.) The blue part of the logo was a typical picture of the electrons surrounding an atom. This represented the first major mission of the command, which was the creation of the strategic nuclear plan. The images of the ship, plane, and sub were representative of the Navy's combat assets.

Mugs like this were typically produced by vendors and handed out as trinkets to the people working on the project in which the vendors participated. Usually, there would be additional information on the other side. Sometimes, the name of the person receiving the mug. Sometimes a project logo. And sometimes blank. It was up to the vendor paying for it. The command did not have a budget to buy this type of mug. I have a collection of mugs from several military projects which I received in this manner. I never thought of them as "collectibles."

 

I don't think the OP has been back, but it's cool to find out more about the mug. I've heard "who'd want that old thing" occasionally, from people cleaning out ... and watched the "who'd want that" fly out the door at a tag sale.

 

I have wondered for a long time about lauragarnet. She was a very frequent poster here for a few years, but I see has not posted anything here since October 2017. Too bad, as I enjoyed her contributions.

 

@Figtree3
Hi! I am back as LauraGarnet02. Have been offline for 3 and 1/2 years. I couldn't remember my password and couldn't retrieve it so made a new account.

I surely have missed this board and everyone here.

I'm learning how to operate off of an Android phone. Now I completely understand why KingOfThings was always complaining about his "fart smone" LOL!

 

welcome home !

 

thank you

 

Fart smone or no fart smone! I have the same reaction to mine.

 

Welcome back, @LauraGarnet02 !

 

thank you @Figtree3 ! I am ecstatic to be back online and back on the antiques board.

I have been remiss to thank @Duane and @Elbonian for chiming in on this thread and providing so much information.
Duane was here three and a half years ago and it's been slightly over a year since Elbonian was here. Sorry I was gone so long. A big heartfelt thanks to both of you!

 

@LauraGarnet02 Where is your avatar from? She's very cameo-esque.