This old badge is from Bayonne, N.J. It is a "City" in Hudson County, N.J.
Just after WW II the US Navy established a couple of schools here. One was a Salvage School, and the other was a school to train Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT).
Cuba Gooding stared in a movie titled: "Men of Honor." It was about Master Chief Petty Officer, Carl Brashear. He was the first black man to become part of the UDT's. In 1966 he lost a leg while recovering an atomic bomb at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.
The bomb was on a B-52 assigned to our Strategic Air Command. The plane collided with a tanker plane at 31,000 feet. Seven servicemen were killed, three survived.
Today the City of Bayonne is a nice metropolis floating in the middle of the Port of New York. Instead of warships there are Cruise Ships at the old Navy piers. Cruise travel has become an important part of the Bayonne economy today.
There are roughly 65,000 people sleeping in Bayonne at night. During the day many are in New York working.
Day and Night the City is protected by its' fine Bayonne Police Department. It was established, in some form, around 1861.
Looking at the badge I have pictured here an old sailing ship is dead center. That is the City Seal for Bayonne. This badge is believed to be from the late 1800's or early 1900's.
Is is a full three inches tall by two inches wide. The letters are stamped from the rear so they appear raise on the front. They spell out: City of Bayonne Police. At the bottom of the shield is the number "147". On the back is a pin with a "C" catch.
On the rear side of the badge one can see in the upper left quadrant the makers mark. A magnifying glass will hep seeing: C. D. Reese, 57 Warren St, New York.
I am mighty glad this nice item sailed into my collection. I will soon have it, under glass, in my "City" collection where I will have the opportunity to view it every day. That's good !
