stern names

Area for camouflage and painting questions

Moderators: MartinJQuinn, Timmy C, Gernot, Olaf Held, JWintjes

Post Reply
User avatar
mister me
Posts: 605
Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2012 3:40 am
Location: Vincennes, FRANCE

stern names

Post by mister me »

hello,

what are the various rules regarding ships names at stern (and numbers at bow), navy by navy ? especially just before/during WW2 ? and concerning launches/boats/cutters ?

I know so far that during WW2 USN did not let names appear at stern, nor submarine numbers on sails, but others ?
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead! - David Glasgow Farragut
SeanF
Posts: 798
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2005 10:28 pm
Location: Downey, California

Re: stern names

Post by SeanF »

The clarify a technical point:
On USN ships. the letters of the ship's name at the stern are often (if not always) welded-on steel cut-outs, which were not physically removed during wartime. They were just painted over with the hull color rather than individually painted in white or black as they would during peacetime. (I've even seen a color photo of the salvaged (or in the process of being salvaged) USS California with the letters done in red against her dark hull - but these would certainly be painted out before the fully repaired ship set out to join the fight)
It's very hard to find photos showing a ship's stern close enough and with adequate resolution to pick out the painted-over letters, but generally speaking they're there. Not at all like the German bow shields, which did get physically removed and not just painted over.

- Sean F.
Post Reply

Return to “Camouflage & Coatings”