Most warships are painted gray in order to blend in with the sea and the sky and to become less visible to enemy vessels. However, in World War I and, to a lesser extent, World War II, some nations experimented with what was called "dazzle" camouflage. Ships in dazzle camouflage were painted in highly conspicuous and sharply contrasting zebra stripes or other bold patterns which changed directions in a random fashion.
These markings were intended to make enemy gunners and torpedo launchers confused about the speed, distance, and course of the dazzled vessel and even about whether it was coming or going. Because each ship had its own special individual pattern and width of dazzle stripes which obscured the actual angles and features of the vessel, it was often hard to tell even what kind of boat it was.
Also, at the time, most ships and subs used optical rangefinders similar to the ones in older cameras which the operator would focus by aligning two halves of a split image in the viewfinder. The dazzle pattern made it very difficult for the enemy to match the two parts of the image.
For a look at numerous examples of ship dazzle designs maintained by the Rhode Island School of Design, click here.
Automakers also use dazzle camouflage to mask the details of prototype or test vehicles which have not been officially released to the market, as witnessed by the below photo taken in St. Joseph, Michigan, on August 7, 2015. Although the basic shape of the car may still be discernible, many of the styling details are obfuscated. In addition, and at least purportedly, with many automatic cameras (including cell phone cameras), the contrasting shades of the dazzle paint scheme can sometimes confuse the infrared focusing mechanism, thus making it harder to create and circulate images of the vehicle. Of course, despite the manufacturers' claimed lust for secrecy, they really don't mind people being fascinated and intrigued by these cars that the companies are conspicuously driving around in public places and which represent models that will no doubt be put on sale in the near future.
For a look at numerous examples of ship dazzle designs maintained by the Rhode Island School of Design, click here.
Automakers also use dazzle camouflage to mask the details of prototype or test vehicles which have not been officially released to the market, as witnessed by the below photo taken in St. Joseph, Michigan, on August 7, 2015. Although the basic shape of the car may still be discernible, many of the styling details are obfuscated. In addition, and at least purportedly, with many automatic cameras (including cell phone cameras), the contrasting shades of the dazzle paint scheme can sometimes confuse the infrared focusing mechanism, thus making it harder to create and circulate images of the vehicle. Of course, despite the manufacturers' claimed lust for secrecy, they really don't mind people being fascinated and intrigued by these cars that the companies are conspicuously driving around in public places and which represent models that will no doubt be put on sale in the near future.
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| Photo courtesy of Patricia Grauer |
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