THESE INSIGNIA ARE CUSTOM HANDMADE 688 LOS ANGELES CLASS SUBMARINE INSIGNIA / DOLPHINS MADE BY “COLLINSON” ENTERPRISES. THIS COMPANY USES A MULTI-STAGE PROCESS TO CREATE QUALITY SUBMARINE INSIGNIA. The Mess Dress Sub Insignia are not numbered. They just have the “COLLINSON” Makers Mark in the center back. The gold & silver full size are engraved with the following on the back: “USS BIRMINGHAM SSN-695″ & “16 Dec 1978 to 22 Dec 1997″ underneath (left side), numbers are engraved on right – “1” through “40”. There were only eight Commanding Officers for this boat in approximately 20 years of operational service. The insignias that are numbered “1” through “8” are reserved for the COs or their surviving spouses/families. The silver insignia are numbered “1” through “60”. The Makers Mark for “COLLINSON” Enterprises is in raised lettering in the center back. These submarine insignia are high quality beautifully made insignia. They are hand made using a multi-stage process specific to this company. Instead of the pre-WW II Class submarine with a head on/Starboard Side bow shot of a submarine between the dolphins, there is a detailed 688 Los Angeles Class 1st Flight submarine with Fairwater Planes (with gaps between the sub & dolphins). “688 Los Angeles Class Flights”. Los Angeles -class submarines were built in three successive flights: SSNs 688-718 (I served on the USS Birmingham SSN-695 & USS Honolulu SSN-718), SSNs 719-750, and SSNs 751-773. In 1982, after building 31 boats, the class underwent a minor redesign. The following eight that made up the second “flight” of subs had 12 new vertical launch tubes that could fire Tomahawk Missiles. The last 23 had a significant upgrade with the 688i improvement program. These boats are quieter, with more advanced electronics, sensors, and noise-reduction technology. The diving planes are placed at the bow rather than on the sail, and are retractable. A further four boats were proposed by the Navy, but later cancelled. Right now the only people that own them are prior USS BIRMINGHAM SSN-695 Crew Members. They were custom made for the Submarines Reunion in Las Vegas 16-18 September 2022. I have written permission to make these insignia from the man who designed them. He sent me the design drawings used by “COLLINSON” to produce these Submarine Insignia. There were only 40 gold Officer & 60 silver Enlisted Insignia produced. Contact me if you have any questions. CHECK OUT MY OTHER AUCTIONS Submarine related items – Insignia, Badges, Challenge Coins, Cigarette Lighters, etc. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Militaria\Militaria (Date Unknown)\Navy”. The seller is “dert” and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Republic of Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei Darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French Guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macau, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Vietnam.
- Type: Badge
- Force: Navy
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
- Modified Item: Yes