Any sizes now sold out will be back in stock, once an October 2023 production.  If you wish to place a guaranteed reserve order for this next production, please select your size from the drop-down size menu under the "Advance Order" menu option, and you will be assured your size will be reserved and that it will ship as soon as inventory is replenished.  

The critically acclaimed 2020 Tom Hanks film "GREYHOUND" depicts warfare in the North Atlantic against German U-Boats in World War II.  Tom Hanks is a very dedicated actor who holds great personal admiration and respect for the WWII veterans, and as such he is very driven to achieve high levels of authenticity.  The production company for "GREYHOUND" hired our founder as a consultant because they were interested in the epitome of historical accuracy, and they purchased our Buzz Rickson's U. S. Navy items because these items are world renowned as the last word in quality and authenticity.  If you see "GREYHOUND," our founder is credited on screen as a consultant and you will see nearly every minute of the film depicting select cast members wearing these exact same Buzz Rickson's USN chambray shirts that were supplied in quantity.

Buzz Rickson’s USN Chambray Work Shirts are the most authentic, highest-quality USN vintage-style, chambray work shirts you have EVER seen!!!  Nothing like this has been offered since the "good old days" of the 1940's.  One look and you will be immediately transported back to an era when America was the unquestioned king of goods synonymous with top quality and durability. Every original and distinctive styling feature from the 1940's has been deftly reproduced, including true, hard-wearing chambray fabric produced on vintage shuttle looms from the era and sewn with 1940's sewing machines.

This is rugged and stylish American history at its best, and it is also going to look fabulous when worn because it is cut to flatter the body, unlike the ultra-loose styles so often encountered everywhere today.  Whether seeking a casual shirt for leisure, a sport shirt to be worn with necktie on casual office days (chinos and a blue chambray shirt never looked better), or truly in need of a work shirt that will outlast similar shirts, let this 1940's design be your silver bullet.  Quantities are very limited. 

Take note of these authentic features and details found only on a premium vintage chambray shirt of this pedigree:

• Placket-front closure

• Collar stand for crisper appearance

• Single-button collar

• Double-stitched seams for superior strength


• Reinforced shoulder yoke for greater durability at this crucial abrasion area

• Custom manufacturing of correct mid-blue, urea dish buttons

• Custom manufacturing of the correct all-cotton, chambray fabric produced on the original narrow shuttle looms employed back in the 1930's, including color matching to the deep shade of medium blue matching USN specs. exactly, allowing a gradual fading to light blue from repeated washings over time

• Dark blue selvage edge on gussets at shirttail side seams

• All-cotton, off-white USN-spec. thread employed in construction

• Exact copy of the original-style rayon-on-cotton labels

• True vintage fit for flattering appearance

• One-wash finish for greater softness out of the box

Sizes available: Small (14 1/2) - XXL (18 1/2). Please note:  This is the revised fit of a Buzz Rickson’s shirt of the same name that was offered before the fall of 2012, but this Revised Fit substantially impacts the fit and those who can comfortably wear this shirt vs. the earlier shirt.  Please see our SIZING TIPS for advice on how to get the correct fit.

Buzz Rickson’s products are imported from Japan

The critically acclaimed 2020 Tom Hanks film "GREYHOUND" depicts warfare in the North Atlantic against German U-Boats in World War II.  Tom Hanks is a very dedicated actor who holds great personal admiration and respect for the WWII veterans, and as such he is very driven to achieve high levels of authenticity.  The production company for "GREYHOUND" hired our founder as a consultant because they were interested in the epitome of historical accuracy, and they purchased our Buzz Rickson's U. S. Navy items because these items are world renowned as the last word in quality and authenticity.  If you see "GREYHOUND," our founder is credited on screen as a consultant and you will see nearly every minute of the film depicting the primary cast wearing Buzz Rickson's USN winter Deck Jackets, Pea Coats, and work shirts that were supplied in quantity; more specifically, however, Tom Hanks is outfitted wearing this exact same Buzz Rickson's USN CPO shirt throughout nearly the entire film.

This all-time classic shirt jacket has become universally known as a “CPO Shirt," though the actual application of this garment was not limited to U. S. Navy Chief Petty Officers.  The shirt was developed for cold-weather work duty in the 1930's and, in practice, could be worn even by officers.  The style evolved over the years, eventually having two breast pockets both with open tops and with pocket flaps, but the 1st version is immediately identifiable by the single breast pocket with scalloped pocket flap. Scores of these shirts were produced to meet the needs of the U. S. Navy during WWII.  The clean, simple, practical  design of the shirt, particularly this one-pocket version, and its hard-wearing, cozy, wool-flannel construction met with a very favorable reception by the sailors to whom it was issued.  After WWII, the “CPO Shirts,” as they came to be called, were widely worn among the civilian population of the USA due to the vast number of discharged sailors who continued to wear their issue shirts and the availability of issue garments sold via Army/Navy surplus stores. 

The popularity of this “CPO Shirt” design grew increasingly in the post-WWII decades, being offered for sale in the 1960's and 1970's in a variety of colors and even in plaid prints, sold by such big-name American retailers as Sears and Roebuck, J. C. Penney, and Montgomery Ward, though it was the later jacket version with two square-edged flap pockets these retailers marketed vs. the one-pocket 1st model. 

There has been a moderate resurgence in the last decade or so of some of the garments associated with the 1960's and 1970's and the “CPO Shirt” has been offered in various forms by today’s bigger names in the fashion industry, though the garments themselves pale in qualitative comparison to those from the 1930's – 1950's - except this Buzz Rickson’s masterpiece!

Once again, Buzz Rickson’s brand has resurrected a bygone treasure from the ground up, utilizing the vintage looms and know-how to craft fabrics not seen in 50 years or more, then deftly sewing the pieces together with vintage Union Special sewing machines to provide a finished product that comes as close to the vintage garment as possible.  What we end up with is a “CPO Shirt” that transcends fashion by light years and bolts straight to the heart of classic style through the very functionality of the original design that has been so deftly reproduced. 

The weight and quality of the wool, the fine details such as the twill-backed frontal closure, chain-stitched runoff with gusset on the shirttail, collar stand, and the simple clean lines of the 1st model with one scalloped-flap pocket all speak loudly about the production and design mindsets behind this gallant reproduction.  Perhaps the most special feature of this style is the use of boiled wool, which is then dried naturally in the sun outdoors to yield a soft, non-scratchy hand that feels like a vintage favorite worn by an old salt.  

This is top-quality vintage craftsmanship irreplaceable at any price – this is Buzz Rickson’s.  Please take note of these authentic features:  

• Exact copy of original U. S. Naval Clothing Factory contract label design printed on cotton

• Custom manufacturing of the correct, heavy-weight, wool-flannel on vintage looms, which is then boiled and dyed outdoors in sunlight so it's not scratchy and feels like an old salt's favorite shirt

• Custom manufacturing of the correct, all-cotton twill backing on frontal closure

• Cotton-thread construction

• Original-spec. one-pocket design with scalloped flap

• Custom manufacturing of the original-style urea buttons with fouled anchor

• Chain-stitched runoff with gusseted shirttail

• Collar stand with early, more pointed collar 

• Counter-rotated right cuff (this isn't an error - this is how a 1st-Model CPO shirt should be)

Even sizes 36-44 Regular.   Please see our SIZING TIPS for advice on how to get the correct fit.  

Buzz Rickson’s goods are imported from Japan