Heritage

Hear from our pioneers

SWO (RET) William Wee

Formation Regimental Sergeant Major

MAJ (RET) Roland Vivian Simon

Commanding Officer of RSS Panglima

Judy Kong

Singapore Women's Auxiliary Naval Service (SWANS)

Our uniforms over the years

1965

In the mid-1930s, our sailors from the Straits Settlements Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve wore a tropical rig of white square-neck shirt and white shorts. The uniform was worn on the upper deck and ashore until it was replaced by the Temasek Green.

1968

The all-white outfit was replaced with the Temasek Green uniform, which was worn by the Army and Air Force as well. A shared uniform helped to show the comradeship between the different forces. The only way to tell which of the three forces a person belonged to was by looking at the badges on the collar, which showed their designation.

1971

In 1971, the Singapore Armed Forces Maritime Command modified its uniform to a beige colour. Navy personnel wore a navy-blue beret bearing the Navy’s crest, instead of a green beret with the Army’s crest. This gave our Maritime troops a more individual style and a sense of identity.

1987

In this year, blue overalls were introduced as the Navy’s working uniform. It was made of cotton and only had two shirt pockets. Although it shared its design with the green overalls used in the Army, the colour distinguished naval personnel from the other services.

2005

The Naval Combat Rig (NCR) was introduced to replace the blue overalls. It included safety features such as reflective strips on the right arm and left leg, making sailors more visible; it was also made of fire-retardant material. A two-piece outfit, the NCR was designed to be a more comfortable and convenient uniform than its predecessor.

2012

The Navy pixelated uniform was introduced to replace the NCR as the working attire for Navy personnel. The white-and-grey design helps our sailors blend in with the superstructure of the ship, improving their survivability during battle. Safety boots for the rig was also designed to be easily removed with a zipper.