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Black buff leather regulation belt with the 1862 friction buckle. The 1841 pattern navy enlisted belts had a hook on one tapered end of the belt that fed through a standing loop on the other end to engage a line of holes. In 1862 a new belt with a friction buckle was introduced and the navy converted many of the older belts, like this one, by simply removing the hook and standing loop and riveting the new buckle in place. The adjustment holes are still evident on this one, showing it is one of the altered 1841 patterns.
The buckle is the 2-inch tall version of the Goodyear patent buckle- they show up in a 2 1/2 inch tall version as well, marked with a patent stamp and, like this one, without any stamp. The belt measures 33 inches from tip to the middle bar of the buckle, meaning about 30 inches fastened. The belt is flexible and solid, but does have some areas of old grease on the tip and a couple of areas inside. The exterior is good. The nap of the buff is raised on the first and last third of the belt. The middle third, at the wearer\'s back, shows more evidence of where the grease has come through and matted down the nap of the buff. This would be about in the position of where the sailor\'s cartridge boxes would be positioned and rub against it. There is a slight stress dip to the belt where something heavy hung on it for a long time. When the buckle is on the wearer\'s right, the spot is about where a pistol holster would be. There is one very small repair where a small piece of buff leather about the size of a fingernail was glued in to fill a hole. I show this spot in my next to last photo. It not very noticeable in person. The slight line extending from it is not a tear but a scratch or drag line in the surface.
I also show the relevant page from Todd showing the two pattern navy belts and a well known photo of a Civil War navy gun crew on the USS Mendota. These belts were to be worn by \"captains of guns and boarders, as well as by small-arms men and the crews of field-howitzers.\"
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