Dazzle painting

Dazzle painting: The system of painting ships invented in the War as a protective device by Commander Norman Wilkinson, RNVR, the well-known Marine Artist, to baffle submarine attacks. The effect was produced by means of strongly-contrasted colours, usually in variegated patterns and combinations of stripes, breaking up in appearance the accepted form of a ship; the governing idea being to mislead the captain of an enemy submarine as to the course and speed of the vessel, and make it difficult to take up an attacking position.

The striped style of design adopted used mostly black, white, blue and green colours, which were decided on as the most effective for the purpose after numerous studio experiments on small ship models, made to scale. "It made a ship look," described an officer, "like a cross between a zebra and sea-serpent off for a weekend." One of the first dazzle-painted Motor-Launches (ML's), arriving at Southampton, so startled a burley stoker on board a merchant ship who happened to be taking the air on deck that he hastily shouted down to the engine room to call up a mate: "Bill! Bill! Come up quick, 'ere's a bloody rainbow coming alongside!"

See also Camouflage.

References / notes

The above term is listed in our Compendium of the Great War.

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