The Ship Model Forum

What is the current status regarding the camouflage of HMS Dorsetshire in May 1941 (sinking of Bismarck)?

According to Raven in Warship Perspectives, the camouflage pattern was made of 507B and 507C. He earlier thought (see Man O'War about County class), it could have been Mountbatten Pink and 507C, but according to the crew members she never used Mountbatten Pink.

According to the drawings in Warship Perspectives and British and Commonwealth Warship Camouflage of WWII Volume 3 on Cruisers, Minelayers and Armed Merchant Cruisers by Malcolm Wright, the forward two 8" turrets were painted light grey. Aoshima's instruction shows all four turrets light grey. But a photo in Cruisers in Camera by Roger Hayward shows all four turrets in the darker colour, only the rear of three of three of the turrets in the lighter colour.

Here is a similar photo:
https://www.worldnavalships.com/ship_photo.php?ProdID=108859

All of the photos, which I had found, are dated to be from the second half of 1941, i.e. after the June 1941 refit.

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Here are photos, which are dated to the first half of 1941 or assumed to be made in the first half of 1941:

http://www.combinedfleet.com/Appendex_1-4_Notes-RStuart-Adobe.pdf

See p. 9.

According to that file, Dorsetshire got the camouflage in March 1941 in Simonstown and it was modified in June. The light painted part of the hull was shorted in June.

Judging from the photos, all four turrets were painted in the dark colour including also part of the superstructure and the forward to funnels.

But which colours were used?

507B was not longer used in 1941 and was apparently also not a medium grey, but a dark grey identical with 507A...

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2 foto and a color profile from a polish magazine and one foto from the net
ciao peppe

Thank you very much!

Especially for the photos!

I think that the photos show dark painted forward turrets and superstructure (in front of the bridge).

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