Locker club

Seven Seas Locker Club, San Diego

If you were a West Coast Sailor in the '60's or before, you would remember the Seven Seas Locker Club in downtown San Diego. For the rest of you, let me explain. Before ADM Elmo Zumwalt became CNO (Chief of Naval Operations), enlisted Navy men were not allowed to have civilian clothes aboard ships and, in some cases, in their barracks. Uniforms were encouraged to be worn at all times. Which uniform was dictated by the Plan of the Day and the activity. In San Diego, as an enlisted sailor, you left the Ship's Quarter Deck in dress uniform and went downtown to the Seven Seas, where you had a rented locker. You changed into civilian clothes and went on liberty. You still looked and acted like a sailor, but you pretended to be a civilian. The Seven Seas not only rented lockers, but they also cleaned and pressed uniforms, sewn on new crows(rank), tailored those bell-bottom trousers that you were so proud of, sewn on liberty cuffs ( embroidered dragons), pencil-rolled your neckerchief, and sold you Seafarer uniforms. They were a huge place, took up a full block, off Broadway, that was open 24 hours a day. It had been a landmark since WWII. Bet you old sailors remember. Master Chief blog

The Seven Seas

A Personal Note from Robin

Yes. I remember The Seven Seas in San Diego and several other locker clubs.

These businesses catered to sailors as a place to interface between shipboard and civilian lives. They usually had a barber shop, showers, steam rooms, masseurs, a TV lounge, a travel agency, and a small uniform shop. Onsite dry cleaners would clean your uniforms while you were in town on liberty and your civvies while you were at sea.

Several locker clubs also had an all-night diner that served sandwiches, desserts, soft drinks, and coffee — lots of coffee.

A concierge service would receive and post outbound mail for you. You could also leave a message for other members so you could stay in touch with sailors from other ships. It was also a good meeting place. There were always taxi cabs and connections to public transportation.

• There were a few along Ocean Ave in Long Beach, CA

• There was one in San Francisco across the street from the Greyhound Bus terminal.

• There were several locker clubs along Granby Street in Norfolk, VA

Several of the locker clubs in Subic Bay, Yokosuka, etc., also provided young ladies to relieve stress (g). Paying a bar fine could allow you to hire one of them to act as an escort or tour guide for a few hours or a day.

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Admiral Zumwalt killed the locker clubs, the Navy flat hat, and thirteen-button blue bell-bottom trousers. He also killed teaching Morse code, semaphore, and ship-to-ship flashing light communication in boot camp. (lol)

External links

• https://weservedtoo.wordpress.com/2013/08/04/remembering-the-seven-seas-locker-club/

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