Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-17
COLOR FOR W,ARsHIPS
NAvIEs OF THE WoRED TRY
MANY SHADES OF PAINT.
arays, With Blue or Red Casts, EN-
ployed by Germany and
Great Britain.
From the Court Circular, London.

From the Court Circular, London. /
What is the best fighting color for a
battle ship? That is burning question
Of the hour with most navies just now.
Each navy also has its own opinion on
the subject, or is doing its best by means
Of more or less elaborate experiments to
form one. Also no two savies so far, 1t
would seem, are agreed as to the practical
value of the results obtained. The ques-
ton is one of vital importance, for in
these times, when 1000 yards range is con-
sidered the normal fighting distance for a
battle between fleets, the fate of a battle
may well turn on the point of visibility or
invisibility Of the ships on either side at
the outset, when the firing first begins.
Torpedoes and heavy quick-firing guns have
at length brought the conditions of warfare
at sea to this.
German Ships Blue-Gray.
First as to what certain foreign navies
are doing. The predetermined Germans
have two colors in particular under con-
sideration. One color Is blue-gray, which
peculiar hue is generally adopted through
out the kaiser's navy for all battle ships
and cruisers. The whole ship, from mast
head to water-line, tunnels, fighting tops,
superstructure, the very guns themselves,
Is exceedingly neat, and very trim and
workmanlike indeed. as everybody admit
ted who saw Prince Henry OF Prussia's flag
ship, the great battle ship Kaiser Fried
rich III, at Spithead the other day on the
occasion of the assemblage OF foreign ships
for King Edwards coronation review.
Blue-gray has the undoubted advantage,
that ships so painted are not easily dis
tinguished in the daytime on the horizon,
or indeed at intermediate distances until
quite close, from the general color Of the
sea and sky. 1t mingles well, too, with a
background Of distant land, and is also
hard to make out clearly where there Is
powder smoke about.
Khaki Color for War.
For their coast defense and home service
vessels and torpedo boats and destroyers
the practical German ministry Of marine
has adopted, after a series Of trials in the
North sea in varying conditions of light and
shade, cinnamon yellow as the war color,
the color, in fact, that most nearly ap-
proaches the appearance of the water in
the North sea and Baltic at distance.
The experiments have shown that ships
painted cinnamon yellow-practically khaki,
as we should Say-can approach much
nearer an enemy before being detected by
the lookouts than any other. The Ger
mans, however, profess to preserve an open
mind on the subject, and to consider these
colors as only tentative.
On the Otner mana, lHe TiSHcii ttuu the
Russians AS welD are constantly changing
their minds on the subject. Ten or eleven
years ago the French considered that they
had settled the question once for all. Many
people will remember the sensation that
was caused at Spithead in 1891, when Ad-
miral Gervais visited US at the head of a
French squadron. 1t was dull and
squally afternoon, and at the hour the
French were expected to arrive nothing
could be seen of them at sea. A few min
rn6 70
French squadron was gliding past the Spit
Fork to pick up it's moorings at Spithead,
close alongside the British channel squad
ron.
French Gray-Drab Tint.
1t was the triumph Of toie mouillee, that
mysterious grayish-drab color, which puz-
zled so many people until the secret came
out that 1t was simply the color of wet
rag wrung out. The French had been ex-
perimenting quietly at Cherbourg by paint
ing a ship on one side the ordinary black,
the common color in all navies, ana on
the other first gray, then drab and so on,
and then turning the ship round and round
to test the contrasts Of visibility. Finally
an ingenious officer hit upon tole mouillee
itself. That color, however, has now been
somewhat discredited by the fact that the
searchlight picks it up very quickly at
night, as, indeed it should be SAID, the
searchlight also does with the German reg
ulation colors of the present time, gray and
khaki.
Now as to what we ourselves are and
have been doing in the matter. We al
narily painted-just they appeared, IN
fact, at Spithead three weeks ago-battle
ships and cruisers with black hulls, white
superstructures, barbettes and guns. and
pale, bun-yellow tunnels and masts; de-
stroyers and torpedo boats all over a dull
black. That is certainly not what our war
ships would look like in war time, but up TO
the present the admiralty has not yet de-
cided definitely what the color Of the war
paint shall be. For one thing, our ships
have to serve all the world over, and under
all conditions Of light and shade in every
sea.
British Experiments.
During the last seventeen years various
suggestions on this subject have been made
and various experiments tried, some Off
cially, more unofficially. Indeed, at the
present time experiments are in progress
with the channel squadron in regard to
this very matter. 1t was at the time OF
the Russian war scare in 1886 that the
question first forced itself on the minds OF
the authorities. In view of possible hostil-
tiles with Russia all our modified ships
were ordered to be colored, tunnels, masts
and hufls, with what was officially termsd
a neutral tint"
A sort Of gray, with reddish tinge, was
considered the most suitable color, but the
order was framed in general terms, and nc
detailed instructions as to the composition
Of ingredients to be used were issued. The
results proved unsatisfactory, owing to tie
many distinct shades of gray which were
used by the various ship painters. 1t was
not an unusual thing, we are told, to see
in consequence three ships berthed to-
gether, one showing up reddish-gray, the
second bluish-gray and the third nearly
white. Yet all were in accordance will
official orders. and passed as neutrally
painted.