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During World War II, US Navy warships wore several different types of paint schemes in order to provide some type of concealment against the enemy. These schemes were called 'measures' which consisted of certain colors and guidelines for their application. Contrary to general public belief, battleships were not always painted in "battleship grey." The "battleship grey" scheme was mainly used in peacetime and consisted of haze grey on all vertical surfaces. This measure is the best all around camouflage scheme but during wartime a specific type of concealment may be necessary. Below are approximate color chips used in measures in World War II. Blue/purples weather very rapidly and severely in sea and sun conditions so the actual appearance of the paint used on the ships varied drastically from ship to ship and from time to time on the same ship.
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This information is based on the official US Navy camouflage handbook C&R-4 (later renamed SHIPS-2) and its relavance to battleships only. Measure 1 (Dark Grey System) - Authorized in January 1941, this consisted of dark grey (5-D) applied on all vertical surfaces with light grey (5-L) being used on pole masts. This measure was a good all around scheme for clear weather and provided good concealment from the air and surface during the day or night. Nearly all of the battleships were using this measure during the Pearl Harbor attack. Measure 5 (Painted Bow Wave) - Also authorized in January 1941, this was used in conjunction with most earlier measures (1, 2, and 3, but not 4.) A false bow wave was painted on the hull with the upper edge in white with the "wave" itself painted in dark grey or dark blue. When used with measure 1 (measures 2, 3, and 4 were not used on battleships), only the white portion was applied since the hull would already be painted dark grey. Measure 11 (Sea Blue System) - Authorized in September 1941, this consisted of sea blue (5-S) applied on all vertical surfaces with all horizontal surfaces painted deck blue (20-B). This measure provided low visibilty from the air day or night in all weather conditions but was highly visible from the surface. However, when viewed from the surface it provided some course deception. Measure 12 (Graded System) - Also authorized in September 1941, this consisted of sea blue (5-S) applied on all vertical surfaces up to the main deck, ocean grey (5-O) applied to all vertical surfaces from the main deck to the highest level of the superstructure, and haze grey (5-H) on surfaces above that, and all horizontal surfaces painted deck blue (20-B). This measure provided moderately low visibility in all weather conditions from the air and surface. Measure 12 (Modified) - Same as the standard measure 12 discussed above, except the main three colors are separated by wavy patterns as opposed to straight edges. Measure 21 (Navy Blue System) - Authorized in June 1942, this measure was replaced measure 11 and was identical to it except it used the new navy blue (5-N) instead of sea blue. The new navy blue (5-N) was essentially just a darker sea blue (5-S). This measure was relatively common during the later half of the war and it was often revived again in late 1944 through 1945 to provide some air protection from the ever present kamikaze attackers. Measure 22 (Graded System) - Also authorized in June 1942, this consisted of navy blue (5-N) applied to the hull parallel to the waterline up to the lower edge of the main deck, haze grey (5-H) on all remaining vertical surfaces, and all horizontal surfaces painted deck blue (20-B). All horizontal undersides were supposed to painted white (5-U) to lighten shadows. This measure was used for bright weather with fair visibility and high aerial observation is doubtful. This measure was very common during 1944-45. The 'Dazzle' Measures (31, 32, and 33) - Authorized in March 1943 as a supplement to the June 1942 handbook, these three measures consisted of combining either two or three colors - pale grey (5-P), haze grey (5-H), light grey (5-L), navy blue (5-N), ocean grey (5-O), and dull black (BK). These were designed to be applied either as straight geometric designs or in wavy patterns. All horizontal surfaces are painted deck blue (20-B) and in addition some portions are usually ocean grey (5-O). These three measures were followed by design numbers identifying which pattern would be used. An example of this would be 32/22D as used by USS Missouri in 1944. The 32 identifies the measure and the 22D identifies the design. The letter indicates what type of vessel the pattern was originally designed for - B for battleship, D for destroyer, C for cruiser, A for aircraft carrier, T for transport, etc. Note that a design made for one type of ship could be applied to other types of ships. As above, the 32/22D scheme was originally made for a destroyer but was also applied to USS Missouri. Note also that the design number itself was dependent on the letter; that is, 32/7D was not the same as 32/7T. Colors were often substituted when applying them to the ship, such as navy blue for dull black, so the overall effect would change the measure from 32 to 31.
Measure 32 (Medium Pattern System) resolves to a medium grey of approximately 20-40% reflectance at a distance. This measure is against submarines and is also effective at short and long range. In general, usually light grey (5-L), ocean grey (5-O), and dull black (BK) are used.
Measure 33 (Light Pattern System) resolves into a light grey of approximately 40-50% reflectance at a distance. This measure is highly effective against submarines but is visible from aerial observation. In general, usually pale grey (5-P), haze grey (5-H), and navy blue (5-N) are used.
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