The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1897-04-08
OLIVE GREEN SQUADRON.
United States Warships Will Bear Tha
Color in War Tlme.

United States warships Will Bear Th.
Color in War Time.
Olive green will be the fighting color
of the new ships OF the navy of the
United States.
This is the decision arrived at for the
present by navy department officials,
and, were war now to be declared, every
cruiser and battle ship in the feet would
be dressed in an olive green tint inside
of 36 hours.
The color selected is the result of a
series of tests with the torpedo boat
Cushing and the Ammen ram Katah-
din.
Every visible spot of the hull of the
Katahdin has received an application
of the fighting color, and the ugly craft
looks all the uglier in her war paint,
particularly when viewed side by side
with the handsome Montgomery and
the sleek Columbia.
Olive green has been found to be the
color least visible at sea. There are
other coiors which would be more suit
able for certain operations, but for all
round work the shade selected is deemed
the best adapted.
The Cushing demonstrated, under the
powerful rays of the searchlight, that
white was readily picked up. On the
other hand, a black object was less
easily detected by the searchlight than
a white one.
A black object is probably the least
difficult for a lookout to discover when
scanning the water on a dark night,
and when depending entirely upon his
eyes.
During the late war the ships of the
union fleet were, during the closing
years, painted drab. This idea was
taken up from the blockade runners.
The latter, in steering into the mouth
of harbor, were often able to discern
the black hulls of the blockading ships
long before the blockade runner could
be made out.
For any work at sea drab color has
many advantages. 1t more closely ap-
proaches to the shade of the atmos-
phere, and to the tone of the horizon
backing the ship. But at night the
searchlight readily makes out drab-
painted object. ..... ."
The olive green which has been Sc
lected for the new navy ships is not only
difficult to make out by day, but ex-
| perience shows is the hardest known
| color to discern at night, when under
| the searchlight rays.
The torpedo boats commanders are
particularly interested in the subject
| of ship paints. 1t means much to them,
| whether or no their vessels are discov-
cred by the enemy's searchlight when
at distance of 1900 yards from the
enemy or at 700 yards. -.
The earlier the charging-in torpedo
boat is discovered, just that much
longer will she be under fire.
During the fight with the insurgent
Admiral Mello in 1894, the loyal ships OF
the Brazilian navy were painted green
ish shade. The torpedo boats which
attacked the rebel admiral's flagship
the Aquidaban, were enabled by reason
of their green-tinted hulls to approach
within 400 yards of her before being
discovered. The remaining charge
home space was of short duration that
the Aquidaban was torpedoed before
she could beat off her assailants.
| The shade of paint now on the Ka-
tahdin is believed to be as near perfect
as can be produced. Unless one is on
the sharp outlook one will pass down
East river with the cob dock of the navy
yard in full view and fail to detect the Ka-
tahdin lying along its face, and that,
too, at distance OF not over 700 yards.
The new paint color is not to be ap-
rlied to the sides of the warships by any
method of guesswork. The exact pro-
portion of the mixture has been ac-
curately determined and is SO issued to
the commanders of warships.
The white squadrons are conspicuous,
pretty objects in peace time, but, presto,
all will change when it comes to war.
l-Brooklyn Eagle.