World War II US Navy dazzle camouflage measures 31, 32 and 33: destroyers

Dazzle camouflage of warships was adopted by the U.S. Navy during World War II, following research at the Naval Research Laboratory. Dazzle consists in painting obtrusive patterns on vertical surfaces. Unlike some other forms of camouflage, dazzle works not by offering concealment but by making it difficult to estimate a target's range, speed and heading. Each ship's dazzle pattern was unique to make it more difficult for the enemy to recognize different classes of ships. As a result, a profusion of dazzle schemes were tried, and the evidence for their success was at best mixed.

Dazzle camouflage patterns used on destroyers are presented here; Measures 31, 32 and 33 referred to dark, medium and light color combinations.

Colors

+Typical color combinations MS-31 MS-31a MS-32 MS-33 MS-33a HorizontalsHaze Gray 5-HHaze Gray 5-HLight Gray 5-LLight Gray 5-LPale Gray 5-PPale Gray 5-PLight Gray 5-LOcean Gray 5-OOcean Gray 5-OOcean Gray 5-ODull Black 82Ocean Gray 5-OHaze Gray 5-HHaze Gray 5-HOcean Gray 5-ODeck Blue 20-BDull Black 82Navy Blue 5-N Dull Black 82Navy Blue 5-NOcean Gray 5-O

Patterns + Destroyer designs Name Description Pattern sheet Photo Known examplesMS-32/1D for Gridley (DD-380) and Bagley (DD-386) classes Port Bagley, Helm, Mugford, Ralph Talbot for Sims (DD-409) class Port and starboard Anderson for Fletcher (DD-445) class Port and starboard Taylor, Mullaney, Bush, Hoel, Hall, Halligan, NewcombMS-32/3D for Wickes (DD-75) and Clemson (DD-186) classes Port and starboard Lea, Badger, Breckinridge, Barney, DuPont, Bernadou, Cole, Bainbridge for Porter (DD-356) class Port and starboard Selfridge, Moffett, Phelps for Mahan (DD-364) class PortStarboard Downes for Somers (DD-381) class Somers, Warrington, Sampson, Davis, Jouett for Benham (DD-397) class Mayrant, Trippe, Rhind for Sims (DD-409) class Russell, Wainwright for Benson (DD-421) and Gleaves (DD-423) classes Port Benson, Mayo, Niblack, Charles F. Hughes, Livermore, Eberle, Plunkett, Lansdowne, Mervine, Quick, Farenholt, Doyle, Endicott, McCook, Frankford, Kendrick, Laub, MacKenzie, Baldwin, Thompson, Cowie, Knight, Butler, Tillman, Rodman, Harding alternate for Benson (DD-421) and Gleaves (DD-423) classes Buchanan, Kearny, Lardner, Boyle, Champlin for Fletcher (DD-445) class Radford, Haraden, Paul Hamilton, Hickox, McNair for Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) class Ingraham, Cooper, English, Walke, Laffey, O'Brien, Meredith, DeHaven, Mansfield, Hyman, Shannon, Adams, Brush, J. William Ditter MS-31/6D for Farragut (DD-348) class Dewey, Hull, Dale, Aylwin for Benson (DD-421) class Woodworth, Bailey, MeadeMS-3_/6D for Fletcher (DD-445) class Jenkins (MS-32), Capps (MS-31), Ross (MS-32), Rowe (MS-31), Twiggs (MS-32), Bearss (MS-32), John Hood (MS-32), Monssen (MS-31), Colhoun (MS-32)MS-31/7D for Farragut (DD-348) class Farragut, MonaghanMS-32/7D for Gamble (DM-15) class Gamble, Preble, Sicard, Pruitt for Chandler (DMS-9) class Dorsey, Hovey, HamiltonMS-3_/7D for Fletcher (DD-445) class Waller (MS-32), Pringle (MS-32), Evans (MS-31), Porterfield (MS-32), Callaghan (MS-31), Cassin Young (MS-32) for Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) class MS-31/9D for Fletcher (DD-445) class Saufley, Van Valkenbugh, Cotton, Hopewell, Uhlmann MS-32/9D for Dunlap (DD-384) class Dunlap, Fanning for Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) class Moale, Charles S. Perry, Ault, Waldron, John W. Weeks, Wallace L. Lind, Lyman K. Swenson, Maddox, Blue, TaussigMS-3_/10D for Fletcher (DD-445) class Daly (MS-32), Boyd (MS-31), Stembel (MS-32), Bullard (MS-31), Kidd (MS-31)MS-31/11D for Sims (DD-409) and other single-stack classes Ellet, Stack, Sterett, Hughes for Fletcher (DD-445) class Fullam, Watts, Killen, Metcalf, Hale, Chauncey, Jarvis, Gregory, Rooks MS-32/13D for Fletcher (DD-445) class Hudson, Stanly, Anthony, Kimberly, Morrison, Prichett, Robinson, Sproston, Cogswell, Knapp, Bennion, Richard P. Leary, McGowan, Picking, Halsey Powell, Norman Scott, Irwin, Preston, PorterMS-3_/14D for Fletcher (DD-445) class Terry (MS-31), Wadsworth (MS-32), Aulick (MS-32), Charles Ausburne (MS-32), McKee (MS-32), Wickes (MS-32), William D. Porter (MS-32), Lewis Hancock (MS-32), Marshall (MS-32)MS-31/16D for Fletcher (DD-445) class Leutze, Isherwood, Hailey, Smalley, Stoddard, Claxton, Dyson, Young, Hart, Braine, Hunt, Cushing, Little for Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) class Allen M. Sumner, Haynsworth, Hank, Gainard, Barton, Laffey, Collett, Harry F. Bauer, Tolman, Harry E. Hubbard, LowryMS-32/16D for Benson (DD-421) and Gleaves (DD-423) classes Meade, Edwards, ThornMS-32/18D for Fletcher (DD-445) class Starboard Foote, Luce, Heywood L. EdwardsMS-31/21D for Dahlgren (DD-187) class Thornton for Fletcher (DD-445) class Ringgold, Conway, Cony, HealyMS-32/21D for Fletcher (DD-445) class Beale, Twining, Bradford, John D. Henley, Longshaw, Burns, Albert W. Grant, StockhamMS-31/22D for Fletcher (DD-445) class Howorth, WedderburnMS-32/22D for Porter (DD-364) class Selfridge MS-31/23D for Mahan (DD-364) class Mahan, Cummings, Drayton, Lamson, Flusser, Reid, Conyngham, Smith for Fletcher (DD-445) class O'Bannon, McCord, Wren, Bryant, Hickox MS-32/23D for Benson (DD-421) class Frazier, KalkMS-32/24D for Fletcher (DD-445) class Nicholas, Ammen, Hazlewood, HeermannMS-31/25D for Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) class Borie, Walke, Purdy, Massey, Robert H. Smith, Thomas E. Fraser, Henry A. Wiley, Shea, Gwin MS-33a/27D for Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) class Alfred A. CunninghamMS-33a/28D for Gearing (DD-710) class Gearing, Frank Knox, Southerland, ChevalierMS-33a/30D for Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) class John R. Pierce Adapted patternsMS-32/11A(aircraft carrier) adapted to Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) class Compton, Soley, Mannert L. Abele, Drexler, Samuel N. Moore, Putnam, Willard Keith, Lindsey, Aaron WardMS-31/2C(cruiser) adapted to Fletcher (DD-445) class Fletcher, Converse, Spence, Thatcher, Yarnall, Harrison, Charles J. Badger, BenhamMS-32/2C(cruiser) adapted to Sims (DD-409) and other single-stack classes Patterson, Morris

Notes

World War II US Navy dazzle camouflage measures 31, 32 and 33: destroyers

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