Fleet Admiral Nimitz visited RAVE
FabriCARE last week. Not in person, of course. That's because Fleet
Admiral Nimitz passed away in 1966 at the age of 81.
But we did receive his 67 year old summer uniform
for restoration. The uniform is part of the artifacts collection of
the Chester
W. Nimitz Middle School in Huntington Park,
California.
To refresh your memory, Fleet Admiral Nimitz took command of the
United States Pacific Fleet after the attack on Pearl Harbor on
September 7, 1941.
Over the next two years, he oversaw the rebuilding of the
Pacific Fleet. Then, he proceeded to clear the Pacific of Japanese
warships in a series of spectacular naval battles. Finally, he
accepted the surrender of Japan on the U.S.S. Missouri on September
2, 1945.
We have no information as to the provenance of this uniform
other than the fact that it was amongst the many Nimitz artifacts
and memorabilia in the collection of the Chester W. Nimitz Middle
School in Huntington Park, California.
What we do know is this: Both the jacket and the trouser have
black laundry marks reading "NIMITZ" and the trouser has an
additional label from the Tailor Shop at the Pearl Harbor Submarine
Base that's inscribed in black ink "Nimitz, C.W. 10-12-44" (by the
way, Fleet Admiral Nimitz was based throughout the war at Pearl
Harbor).
And the overall condition of the uniform? "Poor" would be an
understatement. The uniform is musty (probably stored in a dank or
humid environment), yellowed throughout (probably stored in materials that were not archival),
brown in many places (probably because the uniform was heavily
starched prior to storage), stiff as a board (from the heavy
starch) and creased (probably as a result of both poor storage and
the heavy starch).
Here are pictures of the uniform prior to restoration:
BEFORE -- JACKET
BEFORE -- JACKET (Close-Ups)
BEFORE -- TROUSER (Side Views)
BEFORE -- TROUSER (Front/Rear Views)
BEFORE -- TROUSER (Close-Ups)
Over the next two weeks, I will be personally working on the
restoration of this uniform. Our objective is to restore this
uniform as close to the original as possible. In other words,
remove all the stains and restore the whiteness using processes and
techniques that will preserve the integrity of the garments for
future generations.
So check back on Monday, September 26 to view the results.
What will we be able to achieve?
How can I help you?