A submarine challenge coin is a custom coin made for a U.S. Navy submarine squadron, boat or crew to mark a command, a qualification or a ceremony. Submarine Development Squadron 5, known as DEVRON 5, is the submarine force’s tactical development squadron at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor in Silverdale, Washington.
What Is DEVRON 5?
Submarine Development Squadron 5, written as DEVRON 5 and spoken as DEVRON FIVE, is a squadron of the U.S. Navy’s submarine force headquartered at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor in Silverdale, Washington. It reports to Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Its published mission covers tactical development within the submarine force, including unmanned undersea vehicles and support to naval special warfare. The squadron also runs cooperative programs with civilian scientific and academic institutions in pursuit of national science objectives, which is unusual for a squadron and is part of why it is often described as carrying a different portfolio from the rest of the force.
The command traces back to 1967, when the Chief of Naval Operations established it as Submarine Development Group One before it was later renumbered. Command changes hands at a change of command ceremony held on the base at Bangor, which is the kind of occasion a squadron coin is usually made for.
That is the extent of what belongs on a coin manufacturer’s website. The squadron’s work speaks for itself and does not need explaining here.
Who Orders Submarine Challenge Coins?
The submarine force orders coins at almost every level, and the buyer is rarely the same person twice.
Squadrons and their staffs order commodore’s coins and squadron coins, usually tied to a change of command or a ceremonial event. Individual boats order coins carrying the hull number and the boat’s name, often timed to a commissioning, a deployment or a homecoming. Ballistic missile submarines run Blue and Gold crews, and it is common for each crew to want its own version of the same design, distinguished on the reverse.
Chiefs’ messes and wardrooms order separately from the command. A goat locker coin is a different object from a command coin, and both can exist on the same boat at the same time.
Shore commands supporting the force order too, including training units, shipyard organizations and program offices such as the attack submarine program coins we have produced.
The occasions repeat across all of them: commissioning and decommissioning, change of command, deployment and homecoming, submarine qualification, retirements, reunions and ceremonial events. Decommissioning coins in particular tend to be ordered in larger numbers, because they go to former crew members as well as the current one.
What Goes on a Submarine Challenge Coin?
The design vocabulary is consistent enough that most submarine coins are recognizable across a room.
Hull numbers and boat names carry the identity, usually on the front and often paired with a silhouette of the boat itself. Dolphins appear constantly, since the submarine warfare insignia is the qualification the whole community shares. Tridents show up on squadron and Bangor-area designs. Command and squadron insignia sit at the center where a round coin would put a seal.
Mottos, deployment dates and patrol numbers usually go on the reverse, which is also where a Blue or Gold crew designation would sit, or a shift, division or department name.
Shape is a decision worth making early. Round is traditional, but some commands prefer the coin cut to the outline of their own badge, which is what coins for individual boats and squadron pieces increasingly do. The DEVRON 5 coin on this page is one of those.
Coins for Commands at Naval Base Kitsap and Puget Sound
Embleholics is in Port Orchard, Washington. DEVRON 5 is at Bangor in Silverdale. Both are in Kitsap County, a short drive around the same water.
That is worth saying plainly, because it is unusual. Most challenge coin companies serving Navy commands in Puget Sound are somewhere else entirely, working through email and a phone number. We are on the same peninsula as Bangor, Bremerton and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and a good share of the work in this gallery came from commands within an hour of the office.
The Nuclear Power Training Unit at Bangor came to us for a custom belt buckle. The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard coins were made for SURGEMAIN. There are more across the gallery, including work for the Stennis and for chiefs’ messes on the base.
Practically, proximity means a few things. Artwork conversations can happen at a reasonable hour rather than across time zones. Someone from the command can see a physical sample rather than judging a finish from a photograph. And a shop that already understands Kitsap commands does not need the structure of the submarine force explained to it before the first proof.
None of that replaces doing the work properly. It just removes friction that a command working to a ceremony date does not need.
Finished Coin (Front)
Finished Coin (Back)
About This DEVRON 5 Coin
The squadron came to us for a coin to mark a ceremonial event, and the design they brought was not a common round coin. It was the DEVRON 5 badge itself, with a trident at the center, and they wanted the coin cut to that outline rather than fitted inside a circle.
A badge-shaped coin is harder to make than a round one, for two reasons that compound each other. The die has to hold a complex outline cleanly, including the interior angles where a shape changes direction, and any softness there is visible immediately because the eye already knows what the badge should look like. Then every engraved element inside that outline has less room to sit than it would on a round coin of the same width, so the insignia detail runs at a smaller scale with less margin for a shallow or misplaced cut.
That is where the work went on this piece. The insignia detail was engraved at a scale where the depth of each cut decides whether the element reads or disappears, and the trident had to stay the visual center of a shape that is not symmetrical in the way a circle is.
It was produced through digital design and machined tooling, which is what keeps engraving depth consistent across a complex outline where hand correction is not an option.
Design a Coin for Your Squadron or Boat
Artwork is free and revisions are unlimited. Nothing goes into production until you have approved a proof, so a badge shape or an unusual outline gets settled before any tooling is cut.
Orders start at 50 coins, shipping within the continental United States is included, and rush production is available if you are working to a change of command or a commissioning date. A 20 percent deposit starts production and typical production time is around 45 to 50 days, so plan backward from the ceremony. Molds and dies are free on qualifying orders and retained for up to five years, which matters for a command that will want the same coin again for the next crew or the next class.
Embleholics is veteran-owned, based in Port Orchard, and registered in SAM as a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business under UEI F3AGRUW5RT53. You can see more custom Navy challenge coins across the site, or request a quote and hear back within 24 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Submarine Development Squadron 5?
Submarine Development Squadron 5, or DEVRON 5, is a U.S. Navy submarine force squadron responsible for tactical development, including unmanned undersea vehicles and support to naval special warfare. It also runs cooperative programs with civilian scientific and academic institutions.
What does DEVRON stand for?
DEVRON is the Navy’s abbreviation for Development Squadron. Submarine Development Squadron 5 is written as DEVRON 5 and spoken as DEVRON FIVE. It reports to Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Where is DEVRON 5 based?
DEVRON 5 is headquartered at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor in Silverdale, Washington, on the Kitsap Peninsula in Puget Sound.
What is a submarine challenge coin?
A submarine challenge coin is a custom coin made for a submarine squadron, an individual boat, or a crew. It usually carries the hull number or squadron insignia and is given to mark a command, a qualification or a ceremony.
Who orders submarine squadron coins?
Squadrons and their staffs, individual boats and their crews, Blue and Gold crews on ballistic missile submarines, chiefs’ messes, wardrooms, and shore commands supporting the submarine force.
What goes on a submarine challenge coin?
Hull numbers, boat names, dolphins, tridents, command and squadron insignia, mottos, deployment or patrol dates, and silhouettes of the boat. Blue or Gold crew designations usually sit on the reverse.
Do you make coins for individual boats as well as squadrons?
Yes. Boat coins, squadron coins, chiefs’ mess coins and wardroom coins are all common, and a single command often has more than one in circulation at the same time.
Do you work with commands at Naval Base Kitsap?
Yes. Embleholics is based in Port Orchard, in Kitsap County, and has produced work for commands at Bangor, Bremerton and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, including the Nuclear Power Training Unit and SURGEMAIN.
Can a coin be made in the shape of a unit’s insignia?
Yes. A coin can be cut to the outline of a badge or insignia rather than made round, as the DEVRON 5 coin on this page was. The die has to hold the outline cleanly, so the shape is confirmed at proof stage.
More Navy Projects
