The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1897-03-06
OLIVE GREEN SQUADRON.
United states WarshIps VIII Bear That
Coior in War Time.

united otHLeb hAEbnlpB Will beaE AnhL
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 ut for the
present by navy department officials,
and, were war now to be declared, every
cruiser and battle ship in the fleet would
be dressed in am olive green tint inside
of SO hours.
The color selected is the result of q
series of tests with the torpedo boat
Cushing and the Ammen ram Katah-
din,
Every visible spot of the hull of h
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 colors which would be o 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 s~earchlight than
a white one.
A black object is probably the least
difficult for u lookout to discover when
scanning the water on q 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 a drab. This idea was
taken up from the blockade runners.
The latter, in steering into the mouth
of q 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 a 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 ut night the
searchlight readily makes out a 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
p~erience 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 a distance of 1900 yards from the
enemy or at roo 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 a 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 Aquidahan was torpedoed before
she could beat off her assailants.
The shade of paint now on the Ka-
tahdim is believed to be as near perfect
as can be produced. Unless n 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 a distance of not over 700 yards.
The new paint color is not to be APP
piled 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,
objects in peace time, but, presto,
all will change when it comes to war.
brooklyn Eagle.