Ship's steam whistle

[DougC]

Are the steam whistle painted or left in bare metal on warships?

[wefalck]

Depends on period and ship ...

[Tracy White]

USN WWII = Painted

[wefalck]

I gather, when the idea of camouflage came up and warships began to painted some sort of gray all-over, anything in shiny metal would have been painted over too, such as brass whistles and other fittings, as well as bronze gun parts.

[Tracy White]

The very first WWII camouflage guide by the USN for WWII says in the "General Directions Common to All Systems" section:

All bright or shiny objects, no matter how insignificant, shall be painted, covered, or removed.

Glass windows shall be covered or removed, especially during the day in sunny weather, and at night when anticipating searchlight discovery. Insofar as conditions permit, similar precautions shall be taken on airport lenses.