US Navy Mk II talker helmet explained

Mk II talker helmet
Origin:	United States of America
Type:	Combat helmet
Service:	1942–1980s
Used By:	US Navy, US Coast Guard
Wars:	World War II
Designer:	Beaver Edwards
Design Date:	1942
Manufacturer:	McCord Radiators Company
Width:	28.6 cm ^[1]
Height:	21.6 cm
Diameter:	32.4 cm

The US Navy Mk II talker helmet was a combat helmet used by the US Navy from the Second World War and into the 1980s.^{[2] [3]}

History

In 1942, the US Navy decided to commission a special helmet for sailors posted on decks and tasked with transmitting orders by sound-powered telephone. The new helmet was to protect "exposed deck personnel" and accommodate a telephone headset; furthermore, it had to be usable while wearing a gas mask and binoculars.^[4]

The helmet was made of non-magnetic Hadefield manganese steel. Designated "USN MK-2", was at the time the largest helmet ever used in US service.

External links

• Are Navy Helmets Bulletproof? Battleship New Jersey, Youtube - Show and tell video of M1 helmet and US Navy Mk II talker helmet

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Price of Freedom: Navy Talker's Helmet. amhistory.si.edu. 2019-10-28.
2. Web site: Mannie Gentile: Combat Helmets of the 20th Century: US Navy Mk II talker helmet. Gentile. Mannie. 2015-03-20. Mannie Gentile. 2019-10-28.
3. Web site: US NAVY TALKER HELMET - PROTECTION FOR THE NERVES OF THE SHIP. 2016-07-27. A War to be Won. en. 2019-10-28.
4. Web site: USN Talker Helmet - TALKER'S HELMETS [REF]]. U.S. Militaria Forum. en. 2019-10-28.