The USS Irex SS–482 patches and emblems

This page shows the patches and insignia that are associated with the USS Irex. Reproductions of several are available from Al Hahn, and these are distinguished by having an e-mail link which you can use to place an order.

This is the initial Irex emblem, apparently designed by “S.P.” just before the boat's commissioning in 1945. This was an emblem rather than patch, for patches came later. An eighteen-inch painted aluminum rendering by plank-owner Ernie Venema MoMM1 was removed during the snorkel conversion, and it was ultimately returned to him. He died in 1999, and no one knows what then became of it.

In about 1952, a slush fund (a nautical term, but not original with the Irex) was set up for the good and welfare of its members. In 1953, Marian Anderson HMC (SS) designed this “fat boy” patch that reflects their shared happy-go-lucky attitude. This is not an official patch, but a club insignia. The “Fat Man's Club” had to be dissolved, and what funds remained were spent on jackets with this patch for the members. A reproduction is available from Al Hahn.

The Irex was on a northern run in about 1957 when the XO, John L. Dickey II, felt the need to liven things up by initiating an “Irex patch” contest. It had three or four anonymous entries, and the winning patch chosen by a small panel happened to be the one from Mr. Dickey himself. This patch is the more or less official one, and it focuses on the Irex being the first operational snorkel submarine. A reproduction is available from Al Hahn.

In the mid 1960s, John Brazil, COB, ordered patches made that were based on the original emblem for the Irex, but modified by adding the boat's name and hull number and by moving the fish's tail within the circle. A reproduction is available from Al Hahn.

The Squadron 8 insignia, to which the Irex was assigned after being fitted out with a snorkel. A reproduction is available from Al Hahn.

This is a patch for the Holland Club of the U.S. Submarine Veterans, Inc. To qualify for membership, you must be a life member of the USSVI at least a year and have been qualified in submarines for at least fifty years.

A patch that is not specifically related to the Irex and is fairly recent. A reproduction is available from Al Hahn.

A baseball-style cap. Such a cap without insignia was the traditional working gear worn with dungaree pants and blue cotton shirt. In time, these pieces of clothing acquired various insignia such as the boat identification seen here. An Irex cap is available from Al Hahn.

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