US Navy Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) Badge Vietnam Vanguard Miniature

US Navy Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) Badge Vietnam Vanguard Miniature Size

This authentic US Navy Underwater Demolition Team badge represents a pivotal chapter in naval history. Manufactured by Vanguard in the 1970s, this 1/20 silver-filled insignia bears the distinctive reversed "N" hallmark characteristic of the era. The UDT badge was short-lived, superseded when the Trident insignia became standard issue. Some enlisted sailors, unwilling to abandon their silver badges, commissioned jewelers to plate them in gold—a practice you can identify by the non-factory finish and added hallmark on the reverse. This particular piece exemplifies the craftsmanship of one of three authorized manufacturers (Meyers, Antaya, and Vanguard) and serves as a tangible artifact of Cold War-era naval special operations heritage.