The Royal Navy’s first new uniform for 70 years will leave British sailors looking like garage mechanics, critics said. The new darker blue clothes will replace the light blue shirt and trousers known as Action Working Dress, or No4s, worn at sea since World War II.

Previously the ministry of defense described the new design as “cool and more modern,” but reaction to Thursday’s announcement was mixed at best. One Twitter user likened the new look to “a sack of spuds tied in the middle,” while another said the uniform resembled a “fire-retardent bin liner.” Jamie Frost, a seaman who trains at the University Royal Naval Unit, said, “The new Navy No4s look horrendous. They still can’t issue a uniform that fits and it reduces Royal Navy personnel to looking like garage mechanics.”

According to the navy, however, feedback from sailors so far has been “mostly positive.”

The crew of the Portsmouth-based HMS Lancaster, heading out to the South Atlantic on Saturday on a nine-month deployment, are the first to wear the new No4s.

It has several layers, including a T-shirt, top and thermals, and will offer more protection from fires. Badges denoting rank will be worn on the front, instead of on the shoulders. Officially called the Royal Navy Personal Clothing System (RNPCS), the new design has been tested on several ships and submarines. It is only to be worn during operational duties and will not replace more formal uniforms or the berets and old caps seen by families when sailors return home from deployment.

Vice Admiral Sir David Steel, who led the changes while in his previous post of Second Sea Lord, said the old look was “a bit out of date.” “But the most important thing is that it (the new uniform) is comfortable to wear in the extremes of climate in which the Royal Navy operates — from the Antarctic to the Gulf.”

批评者称，皇家海军70年来首次更换的新制服让英国水手们看起来像汽修工。新的深蓝色制服将代替原先的浅蓝色衬衫和裤子。原来的制服被称为行动工作制服，或者第四号制服，是二战之后的海上制服。

先前，国防部称新设计“炫酷并且更现代化”，但是人们对星期四发布的制服反应不一。一位推特用户把新制服比喻成“一袋从中间绑了一下的土豆”，而另外一个人则说像一个“防火垃圾袋”。杰米·弗罗斯特是一位在皇家海军大学负责培训工作的水手，他说：“新的海军第四号制服看起来很可怕。国防部仍然不能设计出一款合适的海军制服，这套制服让皇家海军看起来像汽车修理工。”然而，海军方面

称，到目前为止，大多数海军士兵的反馈是正面的。

停在朴茨茅斯基地的兰开斯特号舰艇上的船员周六奔赴南大西洋开始历时9个月的任务，他们是第一批穿上新海军制服的人。新制服有好几件，包括一件T恤，上衣和保暖衣，能更有效防火。军衔徽章佩戴在正面，而不是肩上。

新制服的官方名称为皇家海军人员服装系统(RNPCS)，已在几架舰艇和潜艇上进行过测试。

新制服只在执行任务时穿，不会代替士兵结束任务归来时家人看到的那种更正式的制服或是贝雷帽和旧帽。

海军中将大卫·斯蒂尔在此前担任第二海务大臣时主导了这次制服更换，他说“旧制服有点过时”。“但最重要的是，穿上新制服能够让皇家海军在从南极到海湾地区的极端天气中都觉得舒服。”

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【类似】 lèisì resemble look like something or someone else or have similar features as something or someone else

    【部署】bùshù deployment relocation of forces and material to desired operational areas