Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-01-09
Painters Disguise Craft to De-
ceive Foe Lurking in
Enemy Waters.
cAMOUFlAGE IN THE NAVY
Even preadnauehts Made to Appear
as Something but the Monsters
They Are-Navy Men like
Gray the Best.
By J. M. DAGGER,

tub lying over there, captainT'
"That happens to be a brand new
torpedo boat destroyer that has just
arrived to be manned and put into i'm
mediate service"
The thing that made me call the new
destroyer an old tub is the thing that
makes the commander of German
U-boat look through his periscope and
remark: "a fine morning, but not
ship in sight" If the next instant
finds the submarine banked straight
down into Davy Jones' locker, 1t is be-
cause the commander failed to launch
a torpedo at the "fine morning" and
because the asfine morning" got in its
shot first.
1t Is the naval camoufage-the
painting of ships to look at a short dis
lance like what they are not and at
a long distance like nothing at all.
Even a Superdreadnaueht.
Impossible as II might seem to make
superdreadnaughts appear anything
but the monsters they are, 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
location, 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 one of the largest Of the naval
Golfers, which has several times
crossed the Atlantic since Americas
entry into the war, that had very
simple scheme of camoufiage in which
only grays were used. Simple in con
ception and execution. apparently, but
ii had an amazing effect on the ap-
pearance of the ship short distance
at sea, and from what happened at
that short distance have no doubt the
collier was lost TO the eye when 1t got
much farther away.
The older naval officers incline to
the opinion that the regulation navy
gray by itself is better than any camou-
fiage that the artists have invented,
and they are frankly skeptical about
these riots of color and freak designs
that the scientific application of one
of the fine arts is smearing over their
ships.
The camouflage used by a great
many merchantmen is familiar to ev-
eryone who has observed the shipping
in the harbors along the Atlantic coast.
These vessels close up look like
scrambled rainbows or like the palette
of an artist in his cups. The weather
has much to do with the power of
these gay eolors to create optical illu-
siOns.
1t is almost impossible for people
living comfortably in large cities to
imagine the hardships which the men
who watch our coasts are suffering at
this time of year. Twenty degrees be-
low zero In the Rocky mountains is
not so cold as the weather around the
capes. 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.
Should disaster overtake a ship the
rules In the district office at Norfolk
say the first consideration must be the
war needs of the country One vessel
must not risk danger to save another.
The conservation of ships and of men,
not the chivalry and the courage and
the heroism of the sea, must guide the
decision of those who would save a
shipwrecked crew. If the number of
lives involved is very great-great
enough to justify the risk of a smaller
number of lives-then the rescue may
be attempted. But if there is doubt
that rescuing party will itself return
from perilous journey to save small
number of lives, then the war time rule
is firm.
Early every morning the ships go
out in pairs, sister ships, with their
huge broom" stretched across from
one vessel to the other, to make clear
the path for the merchantmen and
warships that must pass through the
capes and out to sea and for those that
,ptdS an ddtth tAtC lb tnCy ItlN
any German mines? l doft know
But If there are German mines to be
found near our coasts, the work OF
the mine sweepers is a risky bushes.
indeed. Even If there are no German
mines, ! suppose 1t is quite possible
for an American mine-there are thou
sands of them planted in the district
10 break loose from the great min
field in Hampton Roads. or elsewhere
and drift in the way Of unsuspectini
ship. And there is always the posi-
bility of the enemy within doing wha
unceasing vigilance in the naval dis
trict is trying to prevent him from
doing.