The shoulder strap of the sailor of the 5th naval crew of the REEF

Despite the fact that in the army all ciphers since 1874, in order to save money, were applied to shoulder straps with oil paint on a stencil, the conservative Maritime Department used old cut-through ciphers until 1896. Such shoulder straps were made using special stamps that cut through the corresponding letters or numbers in cloth blanks. When sewing shoulder straps, numbers or letters were lined with white cloth and wrapped with threads. Due to the high cost of this method, insignia for sailors were built centrally, in the uniform workshops of the Maritime Department, located in St. Petersburg (New Holland) and in Kronstadt, where the shoulder strap was found. Guarantee of authenticity.