They were thinking "CONTRACTS" for friends most likely. Lot's of money for friends to make in a complete service uniform change over. You're right the change to Blue Camo's for a working uniform it was just plain dumb and completely dysfunctional for locating a man overboard in the water.
It equals or exceeds the Naval uniform change of the Dress Blues to a the dysfunctional Chief's style suit worn by junior enlisted in the mid to late 70's. I do know for a fact the Navy finally saw the mistake & went back to the traditional Cracker Jacks in about late 1979. I had to buy them before I could get out in late 1980.
A functional working uniform change could have simply been a pair of light weight solid Navy Blue {dark} Coveralls that both Dickies and Walls makes. A lot of guys on ship wore coveralls when working anyway. But then again the traditional Dungarees also were a part of water survival in the event of man overboard.
I read somewhere that the enlisted sailor coming out of NTC has something like five uniforms issued, with multiple duplicate items that are part of their own uniform set.
They get the A uniform, B uniform, some other kind of B uniform, the dungarees, cracker jacks, and the new utilities.
I could be wrong about the types, but I’d read it was not so long ago that new sailors just had two sea bags of uniforms, and a suit bag. Maybe it’s changed now.
I read somewhere that the enlisted sailor coming out of NTC has something like five uniforms issued, with multiple duplicate items that are part of their own uniform set.
They get the A uniform, B uniform, some other kind of B uniform, the dungarees, cracker jacks, and the new utilities.
I could be wrong about the types, but I’d read it was not so long ago that new sailors just had two sea bags of uniforms, and a suit bag. Maybe it’s changed now.
I saw those in use aboard a nuclear fast-attack that I rode for two or three days in 1970, that had just come back from the Barents and was ordered to AUTEC Andros (Tongue of the Ocean) for torpedo tests. The officers and enlisted all wore an ultramarine-blue one-piece coverall with iirc canvas shoes of the same color, with white-trimmed gum soles. Scary-smart guys, they got a Presidential Unit Citation on that cruise, and on another back to the Barents the next year. Great people.
When I was in, the Os were switched to a God-awful combo of trop white shirts and black slacks (or skirt) for the women. I think Chiefs had that option, too.
We all looked like airline pilots...stupid.
My favorite female O uniform was the seer-sucker, light blue two-piece left over from WWII...
Fit so well that, for me, the under “layer” was optional in hot weather...
It was a loooooooong time ago....