Hidden Ships?

Launched at Hamburg on February 14, 1939, the KMS Bismarck was one of the largest battleships of its time. The nearly 42 thousand ton Bismarck boasted eight 15" guns and could achieve a top speed of 30 knots. Adolf Hitler had hoped that his new powerful battleship Bismarck would represent both a rejuvenation of Germany's surface fleet and a rise of German power in Europe.

The Bismarck was ordered to roam around the Atlantic in May of 1941 to disrupt allied shipping. Britain's initial attempts of interception led to disaster. Britain's prized ship HMS Hood exploded from a single hit killing all but 3 crewmen.

The Bismarck had escaped for now and headed for ports in Nazi-occupied France...

The Usage of Camouflage

Though the Bismarck did eventually meet its fate, it's often interesting to think about how ships of such a scale can escape or even go for a time undetected. How can it be possible to not see something this large in the ocean?

Often naval camouflage is applied to warships in order to increase concealment. But this doesn't necessarily mean blending. Naval camouflage not only hides the vessel but also makes it "confusing" to look at.

We must also remember that technology at the time was far more primitive and thus made camouflage much more effective.

Types of Naval Camouflage

Camouflage falls into three general categories: Concealment, Disruption, and Deception.

Concealment camouflage is most like our usual interpretation of camouflage. The paint helps to blend the ship into its natural surroundings - the sky and the ocean.

Deceptive camouflage creates confusion for the enemy when trying to determine the exact course of a vessel in order to land hits.

Disruptive camouflage makes it hard to tell the appearance of a vessel by altering the silhouette. One such example is the popular dazzle camouflage which broke up contours of the vessel. This made it difficult for technology at the time to distinguish the exact ship speed, number, etc.

Case Study: KMS Bismarck

The KMS Bismarck had a mixed camouflage pattern. The pattern is deceptive in that it has false "waves" painted (the white at the bow and stern) in order to appear going fast at all times. It is disruptive in that the stripes make it hard to determine what ship it is at long distances because it hides prominent features.