Question for ar

[Laurence Batchelor]

Do you have any information on a patternated camouflage scheme applied to HMS Intrepid very early in September 1939 please?
She was based at Plymouth and working in the Western Approaches at this time.

I ask this as it could be possibly one of the earliest designs and nothing early on the I-class is recorded in your camo books.

This is the quote which leads me to believe of its existence and also shows the very ad hoc nature of applying said camouflage to a destroyer:-

Next morning we fell in for 'part of ship' work, and after the twenty odd men had been reduced to about six by the orders, 'fall out the cooks, fall out the sweepers, fall out the gunner's party etc. etc.' the Chief Buffer said to me 'Carry on with the paintship, Leading Seaman Burrows gave you the diagram'.

After a quick search, I found the piece of paper that was thrust into my hand the previous night and on inspecting it I found it was a rough sketch of the ship with a few lines and colours written on it. But on closer scrutiny, it was apparent that the other watch had started at the bow and at the stern, and used up the pattern before they met.

There were two things we could do, one start the whole pattern of camouflage again or fill in the missing area as best we could! So with a piece of chalk, Goldie and I got weaving and joined up the two ends of the ship with our own design. No one seemed to notice it was different from anybody else's, and we were congratulated on our appearance as we left harbour.
- This was September 1939 at Plymouth

Source: HMS Intrepid A Memoir by George Mack (1980) p84-85

Generally I'm only aware of the very boring dark grey light upperworks this class in the war, do you have any more information please?

Not long after this was applied to Intrepid she went in for refit on 13th November 1939 at Chatham to have A & Y turrets landed, more paravane equipment fitted and of course minerails to be converted into a minelayer.
So this pattern could have been on her for just 2 months only.
Thank you

[bengtsson]

Laurence,
Thanks for the hint on the Mack book on HMS Intrepid One more for my RN personal memiors collection. Sounds good, I orderd a copy from South Africa, this book doesn't appear to have made it over to this side of the pond in very large numbers as the US search didn't turn it up in good condition.

Bob B

[Laurence Batchelor]

Its a good book and quite late for a memoir type (1980).
It also details the ships activities in the Spanish Civil War patrols.

It is on my RN DD ref list, but then again there's so many on there its hard to see the wood from the trees!

[ar]

No idea.

[Laurence Batchelor]

Stimulates one to look even deeper at early 1939 camo patterns though!

Another question which is up your avenue.

Have you heard of or have information on something fitted to bridges of converted minelaying I-class in 1939 a 'ZAC' signalling device?

Suddenly we felt our skins creep as a loud clicking started to come from the bridge. This was or 'ZAC' signalling device which worked on ultra-violet rays, and could pick up invisible rays from the signal light of our chummy ships, who had a special screen over their signal searchlight. But this was no signal, as the buzzer was just giving out random noise! We soon worked out that it was picking up faulty blackout from the enemy coast which must be within the five-mile radius of this detector.

Source: HMS Intrepid A Memoir by George Mack (1980) p96.

This book seems to through up new leads by the page!
Thank you