New-York tribune., 1918-02-01
Canouhage at Sea


Many of our readers will remember a
remarkable discourse on the protective
coloring of ships written for The Tribune
ABOUT year and a half ago by the cmi-
nent painter Mr.. Abbott Thayer. His
startling conclusion was that 'half Of the
ships that have been torpedoed would still
be afloat had the naval experts perceived
mat there is a science Of appearances, :"
and that chat science does not form a
part of a naval experts training"
Mr. Thayer had long been known as
careful and observant student of pro-
tectlve coloration in the animal kingdom
and there was no doubt that his elaborate
treatise on this subject had been received
with the greatest respect and interest bv
naturalists everywhere when first pub
llshed, some twenty years ago. 1t was
obvious then that he was not UNQUALIFIED
to discuss the "science of appearances"
nor was it difficult to account for the
somewhat impatient tone of his INQUIRY.
How does it happen that men who know
that their mathematics, gunnery, naviga-
tion, ETC., have put them beyond the COM
petition of outsiders in their field can't
take in that the like is also true OF the
specialists in all adjacent fclds?"
AS to his advice, it was simple and en-
phatic. "There is," he wrote, "only ere
color that when set up vertical is light
enough not to be dark figure against the
sky beyond, and that color is white" Ac-
cordingly, he insisted that white was the
only safe disguise for ships, and that
were this truth understood by Britain she
would treble her power before the end Of
a week." for a week was "all the time it
would take to paint every vertical inch Of
the whole navy, spars, cables and ALL pure
white
In the course of some comments on this
novel proposal The Tribune remarked at
the time that if the navies Of the world
had failed to adopt his suggestion it could
hardly be because Of Indifference or lack
Of faith in the value Of disguise and the
achievement of relative invisibility. Dis
guise in one form or another is an old
device at sea. 1t may be recalled for in
stance, that when Farragut was sent up
the Mississippi to reduce the defences
guarding the approaches to New Orleans
the drab mud Of the river was daubed all
over the hulls of his vessels in order to
pcrpleX the Confederate gunners.
Hence it is evident that the navies have
not acted altogether blindly in this matter
and on the occasion Of Mr.. Thayer's sug-
gestion it was accordingly intimated that
4, o1, bo ,,c+
British Admiralty we're possibly miscon-
ceived, and that if his discoveries had not
been turned to account it might have been
because there we're difficulties in the prac-
tcal application of his theory This con-
clusion is borne out by statement lately
given out by the Admiralty in which it is
represented that after "endless endeavors"
it had been concluded that "the theory of
rendering ships invisible at sea by paint
ing them various colors is no longer ten
able" What follows shows that Mr.. Thay-
ers project was not overlooked
The application of Thaycr's law is most
commonly put forward as a means of OBJ
tanning invisibiity. This, broadly speak
irg, is an adoption Of Natures means
for eliminating shadows and SO reducing
tho visibility of birds and animals at close
quarters. either for purposes Of attack or
defence. and i. is stated that this be
applied to ships by painting the ceilings
Of promenade decks or other projecting
structures white, in order to eliminate all
shadows. Actual experiences at sea have
proved that this is fallacy and that the
paint itself, being dependent on the light
Of the sky, will not overcome shadows.
In conclusion it is interesting to learn
that the System Of camouhage" now in
use is very promising, though "it has not
invisibilty for it's basis"