by 81542 » Fri Aug 01, 2025 7:22 am
Hello,
I've read the recent posts and a few of the older ones on the subject of the decks of this group of ships with interest and have a few comments to make.
First, Tzoli's friend's query about the colour of the linoleum (better known as "corticene") used by the Royal Navy (RN) at the time and later. It was the colour of milk chocolate. That is now commonly accepted and has been for some time in the model-making fraternity: some model paint manufacturers do manufacture the colour specifically for that reason. In confirmation of my foregoing, my father served in the RN between the late 1930's and the early 1960's and remembered it as being that colour. I joined the RN in 1960 and left in 1995. It was still being used (ashore) during that time: I scrubbed it; in the early stages of my career and walked on it later. It was still of that colour and if anyone still cares to look at some (in England), it covers the floor of the Waiting Room of the heritage railway station at Beamish Open Air Museum. Be that as it may, I have the feeling that the stuff may have varied slightly in shade from batch to batch: but not by that much.
Now, was it used on the weather decks of the subject group (class) of ships? The only way to find out (if the information still exists) is to check in either the Ship's Covers: held in the National Maritime Museum or possibly in documentation held in the archives of the companies that built the ships. From what I've seen of photographs shown on this website or available in published books I personally doubt it. It would have been difficult/expensive to "work" it around the various obstacles/fittings on the deck and still have the "Etna" strips. There is no evidence that it was. Therefore, those decks must have been painted or had some other preparation laid on the bare steel. BUT: now look at the upper picture in Tzoli's post of 29 July. To my mind, the outboard side of the starboard side of the Quarterdeck of HMS GLORIOUS, extending from the ladder to just abaft "Y" mounting looks as though it has a strip of corticene laid on it. Why? because this area would be the one normally used for ceremonial departure/arrival of the officers and important persons, especially if the starboard accommodation ladder was rigged. However, others may disagree.
Finally, I've looked at the link on Jim Baumann's post of 30 July concerning "coir matting." Coir matting used in the RN was woven with a strip of canvas about 2inches wide sewn around the edge to hold the material together. When new, it was of a ginger colour but in use became dirty and became much darker. There is photographic evidence of the stuff elsewhere (RA Burt's "British Battleships 1919 - sorry, I've forgotten the last year!) being used as a deck covering to enhance foot hold, especially around open gun mountings. However, its use at sea must have died out post World War 2. I did see it used ashore in my time as a deck "runner" to cover corticene/linoleum but only there and that darkened in use as well.
Hope this helps.
Hello,
I've read the recent posts and a few of the older ones on the subject of the decks of this group of ships with interest and have a few comments to make.
First, Tzoli's friend's query about the colour of the linoleum (better known as "corticene") used by the Royal Navy (RN) at the time and later. It was the colour of milk chocolate. That is now commonly accepted and has been for some time in the model-making fraternity: some model paint manufacturers do manufacture the colour specifically for that reason. In confirmation of my foregoing, my father served in the RN between the late 1930's and the early 1960's and remembered it as being that colour. I joined the RN in 1960 and left in 1995. It was still being used (ashore) during that time: I scrubbed it; in the early stages of my career and walked on it later. It was still of that colour and if anyone still cares to look at some (in England), it covers the floor of the Waiting Room of the heritage railway station at Beamish Open Air Museum. Be that as it may, I have the feeling that the stuff may have varied slightly in shade from batch to batch: but not by that much.
Now, was it used on the weather decks of the subject group (class) of ships? The only way to find out (if the information still exists) is to check in either the Ship's Covers: held in the National Maritime Museum or possibly in documentation held in the archives of the companies that built the ships. From what I've seen of photographs shown on this website or available in published books I personally doubt it. It would have been difficult/expensive to "work" it around the various obstacles/fittings on the deck and still have the "Etna" strips. There is no evidence that it was. Therefore, those decks must have been painted or had some other preparation laid on the bare steel. BUT: now look at the upper picture in Tzoli's post of 29 July. To my mind, the outboard side of the starboard side of the Quarterdeck of HMS GLORIOUS, extending from the ladder to just abaft "Y" mounting looks as though it has a strip of corticene laid on it. Why? because this area would be the one normally used for ceremonial departure/arrival of the officers and important persons, especially if the starboard accommodation ladder was rigged. However, others may disagree.
Finally, I've looked at the link on Jim Baumann's post of 30 July concerning "coir matting." Coir matting used in the RN was woven with a strip of canvas about 2inches wide sewn around the edge to hold the material together. When new, it was of a ginger colour but in use became dirty and became much darker. There is photographic evidence of the stuff elsewhere (RA Burt's "British Battleships 1919 - sorry, I've forgotten the last year!) being used as a deck covering to enhance foot hold, especially around open gun mountings. However, its use at sea must have died out post World War 2. I did see it used ashore in my time as a deck "runner" to cover corticene/linoleum but only there and that darkened in use as well.
Hope this helps.