Camouflage intent and effectiveness.
January 2nd, 2009 From
>X-Authentication-Warning: ecom4.ecn.bgu.edu: mslrc owned process doing -bs
>Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 11:45:48 -0500 (CDT)
>From: “Louis R. Coatney”
>X-Sender: mslrc@ecom4.ecn.bgu.edu
>To: Conflict simulation Games
> mahan@microwrks.com, marhst-l@qucdn.queensu.ca,
> seaways-shipmodeling-list@lists.best.com, > milhst-l@ukanvm.cc.ukans.edu
>Subject: Re: Camouflage intent and effectiveness.
>Precendence: bulk
>Sender: mahan-owner@microworks.net
>
>On Thu, 22 May 1997, Les Howie wrote:
> > I few years ago I had a chat with a gentleman who served in the > RCAF coastal
> > service during the war, and asked him about camouflage > patterns. He claimed
> > that, no matter how ships had been painted, by the time they had > been at sea
> > for any length time they were all rust brown from the air.
> > For what its worth. He may have been pulling my leg but I don’t think so.
>
>As foul and rusted a condition as most of the Commonwealth ships were, in
> the first 3-4 years of the war, I don’t think he was pulling your leg,
> Les, particularly since convoy ships would have lowest painting
> priority.
>
>On the other hand, the fast minelayers that went into Malta were painted
> and repainted … to resemble Vichy ships, etc.
>
>There is this one photo of KING GEORGE V looking … there is no other
> word for it … *decrepit* … in 1942! 🙂
>
>One big Lend-Lease service the U.S. provided, before and during our
> entry in the war, was refitting British warships in American shipyards
> … well beyond the range of the bombers that sank SUSSEX in her
> drydock, for example.
>
>And we not only repaired, cleaned, and mechanically upgraded the British
> ships … we *repainted* them … according to British specs with
> paint colors in acutely short supply back in the isles. (Thus, we
> tried for ourselves schemes like “Mountbatten Pink,” discussed a
> few weeks ago.)
>
>However, in higher priority theaters, there does seem to have been
> paint available and used. Look at the photos of the Malta Striking
> Forces victoriously parading back into harbor, their light gray
> upperworks positively beaming.
>
>Lou
> Coatney, mslrc@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu