[Robert A Cook PE]

In these days of radar, sonar, infrared tracking, night vision equipment, electronic signal detection, and all the rest why is the Navy using camouflage for their ships? Do the honestly think that someone who really wants to target it will be thrown off by the paint scheme?

To the contrary! Visually, it is very, very easy to see those high-contrast white-deckhouses on cargo ships many miles off through a periscope. Same from a low-flying aircraft. Light “haze grey” with NO contrasting colors - they need to paint out the black smokestacks too! - is very valuable in protecting a ship against submarine attack.

Now, whether these colors will work against subs is unknown. Without looking a through a periscope, and I doubt ANY surface or air qualified officer has EVER looked through a scope once commissioned, the targets have no idea how vulnerable they are.

What works against a periscope, works against a low-waterline pirate or torpedo/missile boar just as well.

[Little Bill]

Didn't the Serbs use something like this during Clintons war?

[DoodleDawg]

To the contrary! Visually, it is very, very easy to see those high-contrast white-deckhouses on cargo ships many miles off through a periscope. Same from a low-flying aircraft. Light “haze grey” with NO contrasting colors - they need to paint out the black smokestacks too! - is very valuable in protecting a ship against submarine attack.

If all you have is your periscope. But the submarine sonar will track the ship miles before it gets into visual range and can target it without even using visual identification.

[llevrok]

In these days of radar, sonar, infrared tracking, night vision equipment, electronic signal detection, and all the rest why is the Navy using camouflage for their ships?

I have the same curiousity about sailors I see around here (Bremerton area) wearing blue and gray cammo. On land, I can't imagine they are stealthy. And at sea, with modern electronics, what difference does it make?

[Covenantor]

So you're basically saying that the 'dazzle type' paint scheme will confuse wave level optical perception if we paint our ships to look like the USS Cole post attack.

All that money and equipment training wasted when all we really needed was paint and some gay decorators and florists doing their thing.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Robert A. Cook, PE.