The Ship Model Forum

Hello Dick,
Thanks for replying. HMS Espiegle was completed 1 December 1942 and joined 12th M/S Flotilla at Gibraltar in early 1943 and from May was sweeping the Sicilian channels. Williams states directly that her camouflage pattern was similar to that of [i]Mutine[/i] (and others) "but her colours were brown and green rather than grey.. .." So, either completed as such or the pattern repainted. Mmm....
Cheers,
GrahamB

P.S. I note that in Malcolm Wright's book (pinches of salt required for analysis, and colour-misrepresentations of stated Admiralty paints) there are several profiles of destroyers serving in the Mediterranean with "sand" as an applied colour. Makes sense. Weirdly, his profile of [i]HMS Blankney [/i](Hunt Class, page 68) might show roughly what HMS Espiegle exhibited - different pattern though and he says the green is B30!

(Away from my references and photos.) Your attached IWM picture (FL 11768) looks to me like an on-completion photo received by the Admiralty Curator 4th March 1943. No reason to doubt anything but standard colours, perhaps as per Hodges, for that scheme/design. The photo having presumably been taken in December 1942 that leaves plenty of time for subsequent repainting to other schemes 1943-45. Can you tell from Williams when he was referring to her being in green and brown/acquiring the potato patch moniker? Working close inshore off Italy and then Greece maybe something to disguise her against a land background was felt to be needed for a time? Doubt that the colours would have been the long-discontinued flotta ones or stone. Perhaps something acquired locally, perhaps from the Army?

Kia ora,

this one for the Royal Navy WW2 camouflage experts. I recently bought a copy of Jack Williams excellent [b][i]The Algerines[/i][/b] and am intrigued by the colours supposedly worn by [i]HMS Espiegle[/i]. This has a similar [u]pattern[/u] to that of [i]HMS Hound[/i] and [i]HMS Mutine[/i] (as illustrated in [b][i]Royal Navy Warship Camouflage[/i][/b] by Peter Hodges) but the colours are mentioned by Williams as green and brown - with the ship's nickname of "The Potato Patch". I have no real idea of what this could be but might consider the following:

superstructure/upperworks in AP507C or MS4A?

pattern: [u]lighter background[/u] [u]darker stripes[/u]
Flotta Green Flotta Brown
WA Green Flotta Brown
Stone (as on HMS Grenade) Flotta Green
Any ideas welcome. Many thanks.
Cheers,
GrahamB

image courtesy of the IWM website. Fair use.