Sailor Uniforms - are they always white?

[former user]

Since we are at it, maybe I can throw in a question too:

the black silk scarves, which are so typical for the Royal Navy (the British, not the Norwegian), was it also used by other navies?

[former user]

Maybe I can help here with the german Imperial navy

[Plynkes]

From someone else, I might take that as a challenge - however, as I am confounded trying to find things like this, and having been in awe of the library of uniform knowledge you drag around your skull, all I ask is - is any of this online?  When I went looking for uniform colors for sailors, all I could find was black and white photos that did me no good whatsoever, or painted models that don't reference any sources...

Sorry, I think I came over a little antagonistic there, didn't I? I unreservedly apologize. I think there is quite a bit online, but finding it isn't always a precise science, and you are right in that many of the pictures will be black-and-white. Though to be fair, in black-and-white photos it is really easy to tell Navy Blues from Tropical Whites, so I don't really see this as a problem. I'm afraid I have zilch on the Norwegian Navy, save for a single photo from the WWII era.



Shows a French-style bobble on the cap, and one is wearing a stripey undershirt like some navies still do. Interesting, but how helpful for the Victorian era, I cannot say. Those uniform elements were certainly already around in naval fashions at the end of the 19th Century, though. The sailor's collar and bell-bottom look would probably have been more prevalent towards the end of the Victorian era, so they would have looked a little different.

[Bullshott]

I've edited my earlier post on this thread to correct badge colours.

[HerbyF]

I have many sailors. Some are in blue, some are in white. Some of my navel units have variations mixed in the same unit(blue over white, white over blue, etc). I even have some in shirt sleeves in the red or blue horizontal stripes.

[argsilverson]

Since we are at it, maybe I can throw in a question too:

the black silk scarves, which are so typical for the Royal Navy (the British, not the Norwegian), was it also used by other navies?

I am not sure if all navies have black silk scarves. Some yes. (for example Greek Navy has). I presume at least those who are fashioned along british lines.
(The same happens with the black ties Air Forces wear!)

[former user]

I see
well apparently the German Imperial Navy had too