The admiralty used “dazzle” camouflage as an anti-submarine protection measure for merchant vessels and convoys. The Grand Fleet battle squadrons were not painted that way. But several cruisers that acted as convoy ocean escorts were given camouflage coats. Some designs were used on two different ships, Others were unique. Here are some examples from my … More RN WWI Camouflage on my models – part II
I was fascinated by the use of colored patterns in the First World War to confuse U-boats about the course and speed of the painted ship. I’ve painted many models in my collection in those patterns. Here are three British minesweeping sloops with their actual patterns. The patterns are different for each side of the … More RN WWI Camouflage on my models – part 1
Disruptive Camouflage at Gallipoli in 1915 Disruptive pattern, or Dazzle, camouflage was used in 1917 to save merchant ships from :U-boat attacks. But the idea of disruptive camouflage had been in actual use earlier, A British professor of zoology, John Kerr, had proposed the idea as a means of confusing range-finders. Then First Lord of … More Disruptive camouflage at Gallipoli in 1915
US Submarine camouflage trials in 1916 There was interest in warship camouflage in the US that may have been started by the experience of the US Navy in the Spanish American War. One of the first artists to make his interest public was William A Mackay. Mackay had specific ideas about ship camouflage, and they … More USN submarine camouflage experiments – 1915-6.
Frederick Alexander Pawla One of the highly important, and largely forgotten, figures in the camouflage of US ships in the First World War was Frederick Alexander Pawla. Pawla was born in Scotland in 1876. He immigrated to the US and joined the US Navy when he was just 14 years old and not yet 5 … More Frederick Alexander Paula
French WWI ship Camouflage As in the case of the Italians, I also found French designs while researching material for my book about US ship camouflage in WWI, The Easter Egg Fleet. The French created a design bureau for French ships. The Belgians relied on the British. There were even some designs created for other … More French WWI ship camouflage
The Canadian Navy started WW II as a small commonwealth force supporting the Royal Navy and ended the war , due to the demise of the German, Italian, Japanese, and French fleets, as the third largest in the world. Canada appointed her own war artists to document their country’s contributions to the war. This included … More Canadian WW II Ship Camouflage
In a previous post I mentioned how women helped with camouflage in World War One. haven’t ever seen any evidence that any woman designed camouflage patterns in that war. But I did run across an item that showed at least one female actually put her artistic abilities to use in the field of ship camouflage. … More A real woman camouflage artist
In the First World War, when everyone was painting their ships in order to confuse German submarine captains who might be targeting them, even the Italians developed some camouflage patterns of their own. This one is the Italian passenger liner “America”. She got her own disguise in 1918 and an American Aide for Information documented … More Italys America
Women only received the right to vote after the First World War. In Britain it came in 1918. In the United States it occurred in 1920.The pressures of war resulted in many places off the battlefield becoming sites where women could contribute to the war effort. Camouflage was one such field. The Royal Navy established … More Women helped with WWI camouflage
Wetherhorn 