The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1918-01-11
Painters Disguise Craft to De.
ceive Foe Lurking in
Enemy Waters.
cAM0UFlAGE IN THE navy
Even Dreadnaughts Made to Appear
as Something but the Monsters
They Are-Navy Men Like
Gray the Best.

Chicago News.

Norfolk, Va.-".And what is that old
sub lying over there. captain!"
THAT happens to be Il brand new
torpedo boat destroyer that has just
arrived to be manned and put Into inn
mediate service
The thing that made me call the new
destroyer m old tub Is the thing that
makes the commander Of a German
U-bOat look through his periscope and
remark: "A fine morning. but not a
ship In sight II the next instant
finds the submarine banked straight
down into Davy Jones locker, it Is be-
cause the commander failed to launch
a torpedo ut tho fine morning II
because the fine morning" got in Its
shot first.
1t is the naval camoutiagc-the
painting of ships to look at n short dis
lance like what they are not and Mt
Il long distance like nothing at oil.
Even a superdreadnauoht.
Impossible as 1t might seem to make
.superdreadnaughts appear anything
but the monsters they T. there are
nevertheless processes of camouflage
for them. 1t Is obvious that details
as to what designs are being used on
various types OF ships are not for pub
LEGATION. especially in view Of the fact
that experimental schemes for having
ships sail in false colors-nOt under
them-are constantly being tried out.
/ saw n Of the largest Of the naval
0nJlfnWN N+li1h hnN EAyarnI ftninE
crossed the Atlantic since Americas
entry into the war. that had q very
simple scheme ot c%amoNflagc in which
only grays were used. Simple in con-
ception and execution, apparently, but
Il had an amazing effect on the ep-
pearance Of the ship a short distance
at sea, and from what happened ut
that short distance l have no doubt the
collier was lost to the eye when it got
much farther away.
The older naval officers incline to
the opinion that the regulation navy
gray by itself is better than any camou-
ilage that the artists have invented,
and they are frankly skeptical about
these riots of color and freak designs
AiuI III s1IS upPiI'seaioA - os'
Of the fine arts is smenrin. over their
ships.
The camouflage used by n great
many merchantmen is familiar to ev-
eryone who has observed the shipping
la the harbors along the Atlantic coast.
These vessels close up look like
scrambled rainbows or like the palette
- -, crts.t - l;- - yrla ,cn.f1,a,r
has much to do with the power of
these gay colors to create optical illu-
sions.
1t is almost impossible for people
living comfortably IN large cities to
imagine the hardslips which the men
who watch our coasts arc suffering at
this time of year. Twenty degrees be-
low zero In the Rocky mountains is
not so cold as the weather around the
cnpes. The government has supplied
the hundreds OF men on the patrol
boats, the submarine chaserS and the
mine sweepers with their allotment OF
winter clothing, but they need knitted
articles.
Sometimes Must Let Il Sink.
SNOulu disaster ONcTldke Il snip TIE
rules in the district Office ut Norfolk
say the first consideration must be the
wal needs Of the country. One vessel
must not risk danger to save another.
The conservation Of ships and Of men,
mot the chivalry and the courage and
the herOlsm Of the seq must guide the
decision of those who would q v a
,shipwrecked crew. II the number OF
lives involved is very great-great
enough to Justify the risk Of a smaller
number Of lives-then the rescue may
he attempted. But II there Is doubt
that q rescuing party will itself return