I’m posting these for aesthetic reasons, but the story behind these ships and their unique makeover is well worth remembering also..
British Artist and naval officer Norman Wilkinson pioneered the Dazzle Camouflage movement, known as Razzle Dazzle during World War I. That might not be anything of too much interest, other than the age of the modern geometric design, the rationale on the other hand…
If you think about the simplistic technical nature of warfare around 1914-18, destroying a battle ship was as simple as following these 3 steps..Step 1: Locate your target’s position and plot its course; Step 2: Determine the ship’s speed and confirm the direction it is heading: Step 3: Launch torpedo not directly at the ship, but where you think it’s going to be by the time the torpedo reaches the ship.
Wilkinson devised that Step 1, was a given, how can you hide a large ship above water?! so.. concentrated on protecting the combat of Steps 2 and 3… by using Razzle Dazzle and its unique bright colours, and geometric shapes and stripes, that these ships would be able to disguise its speed, size and direction.
I can clearly see why this didn’t take off past World War I, but none-the-less.. the result is impressive.
