World War II US Navy dazzle camouflage measures 31, 32 and 33: destroyers

Dazzle camouflage of warships was adopted by the U.S. Navy during World War II, following research at the Naval Research Laboratory. Dazzle consists in painting obtrusive patterns on vertical surfaces. Unlike some other forms of camouflage, dazzle works not by offering concealment but by making it difficult to estimate a target's range, speed and heading. Each ship's dazzle pattern was unique to make it more difficult for the enemy to recognize different classes of ships. The result was that a profusion of dazzle schemes were tried, and the evidence for their success was at best mixed.

Dazzle camouflage patterns used on destroyers are presented here; Measures 31, 32 and 33 referred to dark, medium and light color combinations.

Colors

Typical color combinations
MS-31 MS-31a MS-32 MS-33 MS-33a Horizontals
Haze Gray 5-H Haze Gray 5-H Light Gray 5-L Light Gray 5-L Pale Gray 5-P Pale Gray 5-P Light Gray 5-L Ocean Gray 5-O
Ocean Gray 5-O Ocean Gray 5-O Dull Black 82 Ocean Gray 5-O Haze Gray 5-H Haze Gray 5-H Ocean Gray 5-O Deck Blue 20-B
Dull Black 82 Navy Blue 5-N Dull Black 82 Navy Blue 5-N Ocean Gray 5-O

Patterns

Destroyer designs
Name Description Pattern sheet Photo Known examples
MS-32/1D for Gridley (DD-380) and Bagley (DD-386) classes [lower-alpha 1]
Starboard

Port
Mugford
 Bagley,[lower-alpha 2] Helm,[lower-alpha 3] Mugford,[lower-alpha 4] Ralph Talbot
for Sims (DD-409) class Port and starboard Anderson
for Fletcher (DD-445) class Port and starboard Taylor, Mullaney, Bush, Hoel,[lower-alpha 3] Hall, Halligan, Newcomb
MS-32/3D for Wickes (DD-75) and Clemson (DD-186) classes Port and starboard Lea, Badger, Breckinridge,[lower-alpha 5][lower-alpha 6] Barney, DuPont, Bernadou, Cole, Bainbridge
for Porter (DD-356) class[lower-alpha 7] Port and starboard Selfridge,[lower-alpha 8] Moffett, Phelps
for Mahan (DD-364) class Port
Starboard 		Downes
for Somers (DD-381) class Somers, Warrington, Sampson, Davis, Jouett
for Benham (DD-397) class Mayrant, Trippe, Rhind
for Sims (DD-409) class Russell, Wainwright
for Benson (DD-421) and Gleaves (DD-423) classes[lower-alpha 9]
Starboard

Port
Farenholt
 Benson, Mayo, Niblack,[lower-alpha 5] Charles F. Hughes, Livermore, Eberle, Plunkett, Lansdowne,[lower-alpha 3] Mervine, Quick, Farenholt, Doyle, Endicott, McCook,[lower-alpha 3] Frankford, Kendrick,[lower-alpha 5] Laub, MacKenzie, Baldwin, Thompson, Cowie, Knight, Butler, Tillman, Rodman,[lower-alpha 5] Harding [lower-alpha 5]
alternate for Benson (DD-421) and Gleaves (DD-423) classes[lower-alpha 10] Buchanan, Kearny,[lower-alpha 3] Lardner,[lower-alpha 3] Boyle, Champlin [lower-alpha 5]
for Fletcher (DD-445) class Radford,[lower-alpha 3] Haraden,[lower-alpha 3] Paul Hamilton, Hickox, McNair
for Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) class Ingraham, Cooper, English, Walke, Laffey, O'Brien, Meredith, DeHaven, Mansfield, Hyman, Shannon,[lower-alpha 11] Adams,[lower-alpha 11] Brush, J. William Ditter[lower-alpha 11]
MS-31/6D for Farragut (DD-348) class Dewey, Hull, Dale, Aylwin
for Benson (DD-421) class Woodworth,[lower-alpha 4] Bailey, Meade
MS-3_/6D for Fletcher (DD-445) class
Colhoun
 Jenkins (MS-32), Capps (MS-31), Ross (MS-32), Rowe (MS-31), Twiggs (MS-32), Bearss (MS-32), John Hood (MS-32), Monssen (MS-31), Colhoun (MS-32)
MS-31/7D for Farragut (DD-348) class Farragut, Monaghan[lower-alpha 4]
MS-32/7D for Gamble (DM-15) class[lower-alpha 12] Gamble, Preble, Sicard, Pruitt
for Chandler (DMS-9) class[lower-alpha 13] Dorsey, Hovey, Hamilton
MS-3_/7D for Fletcher (DD-445) class
Waller
 Waller (MS-32), Pringle (MS-32), Evans (MS-31), Porterfield (MS-32), Callaghan (MS-31), Cassin Young (MS-32)
for Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) class
MS-31/9D for Fletcher (DD-445) class Saufley, Van Valkenbugh, Cotton, Hopewell, Uhlmann
MS-32/9D for Dunlap (DD-384) class Dunlap, Fanning
for Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) class
Ault
 Moale, Charles S. Perry, Ault, Waldron, John W. Weeks, Wallace L. Lind, Lyman K. Swenson, Maddox, Blue, Taussig
MS-3_/10D for Fletcher (DD-445) class
Boyd
 Daly (MS-32), Boyd (MS-31), Stembel (MS-32), Bullard (MS-31), Kidd (MS-31)
MS-31/11D for Sims (DD-409) and other single-stack classes
Stack
 Ellet, Stack,[lower-alpha 4] Sterett,[lower-alpha 4] Hughes
for Fletcher (DD-445) class Fullam, Watts, Killen, Metcalf,[lower-alpha 4] Hale, Chauncey,[lower-alpha 4] Jarvis, Gregory, Rooks [lower-alpha 4]
MS-32/13D for Fletcher (DD-445) class
Morrison
 Hudson, Stanly, Anthony, Kimberly, Morrison, Prichett, Robinson, Sproston, Cogswell, Knapp, Bennion, Richard P. Leary, McGowan, Picking, Halsey Powell, Norman Scott, Irwin, Preston, Porter
MS-3_/14D for Fletcher (DD-445) class
William D. Porter
 Terry (MS-31), Wadsworth (MS-32), Aulick (MS-32), Charles Ausburne (MS-32), McKee (MS-32), Wickes (MS-32), William D. Porter (MS-32), Lewis Hancock (MS-32), Marshall (MS-32)
MS-31/16D for Fletcher (DD-445) class Leutze, Isherwood, Hailey, Smalley, Stoddard, Claxton,[lower-alpha 4] Dyson, Young, Hart, Braine, Hunt, Cushing, Little
for Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) class
Haynsworth
 Allen M. Sumner, Haynsworth, Hank, Gainard, Barton, Laffey, Collett,[lower-alpha 4] Harry F. Bauer,[lower-alpha 11] Tolman,[lower-alpha 11][lower-alpha 4] Harry E. Hubbard, Lowry
MS-32/16D for Benson (DD-421) and Gleaves (DD-423) classes [lower-alpha 10] Meade, Edwards, Thorn
MS-32/18D for Fletcher (DD-445) class
Port

Starboard
Luce
 Foote, Luce, Heywood L. Edwards
MS-31/21D for Dahlgren (DD-187) class[lower-alpha 14]
Thornton
for Fletcher (DD-445) class Ringgold, Conway, Cony, Healy
MS-32/21D for Fletcher (DD-445) class Beale, Twining, Bradford, John D. Henley, Longshaw, Burns, Albert W. Grant, Stockham
MS-31/22D for Fletcher (DD-445) class
Howorth
 Howorth, Wedderburn
MS-32/22D for Porter (DD-364) class [lower-alpha 7] Selfridge [lower-alpha 8]
MS-31/23D for Mahan (DD-364) class
Smith
 Mahan, Cummings, Drayton, Lamson, Flusser, Reid, Conyngham, Smith
for Fletcher (DD-445) class O'Bannon, McCord, Wren, Bryant,[lower-alpha 4] Hickox [lower-alpha 4]
MS-32/23D for Benson (DD-421) class[lower-alpha 15] Frazier, Kalk
MS-32/24D for Fletcher (DD-445) class
Ammen
 Nicholas, Ammen, Hazlewood, Heermann
MS-31/25D for Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) class
Henry A. Wiley
 Borie, Walke, Purdy, Massey, Robert H. Smith,[lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 11] Thomas E. Fraser,[lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 11] Henry A. Wiley,[lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 11] Shea,[lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 11] Gwin [lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 11]
MS-33a/27D for Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) class
Alfred A. Cunningham
MS-33a/28D for Gearing (DD-710) class
Southerland
 Gearing, Frank Knox, Southerland, Chevalier
MS-33a/30D for Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) class
John R. Pierce
Adapted patterns
MS-32/11A
(aircraft carrier) 		adapted to Allen M. Sumner (DD-692) class
Aaron Ward
 Compton, Soley, Mannert L. Abele, Drexler, Samuel N. Moore, Putnam, Willard Keith, Lindsey, Aaron Ward
MS-31/2C
(cruiser) 		adapted to Fletcher (DD-445) class Fletcher, Converse, Spence, Thatcher, Yarnall,[lower-alpha 4] Harrison, Charles J. Badger, Benham
MS-32/2C
(cruiser) 		adapted to Sims (DD-409) and other single-stack classes Patterson, Morris

Notes

  1. ↑ This sheet calls for the unusual combination of Ocean Gray and Haze Gray
  2. ↑ Used Black and Light Gray (MS-32) to starboard and Ocean Gray and Light Gray (MS-33) to port
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Used Measure 31 colors
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Used Measure 32 colors
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Port and starboard patterns switched
  6. ↑ Used Navy Blue instead of Black
  7. 1 2 Sheet marked "DD-357 [Selfridge] class;" Porter had been sunk in October 1942
  8. 1 2 Selfridge received the MS-32/22D pattern in April 1944; by April 1945 she was wearing MS-32/3D
  9. ↑ Sheet marked "DD-421 class," but used on both
  10. 1 2 Sheet marked "DD-423 class," but used on both
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 As Robert H. Smith (DM-23) class minelayer
  12. ↑ Minelayer conversions of Clemson class DDs
  13. ↑ Fast minesweeper conversions of Clemson class DDs
  14. ↑ Seaplane tender conversions of Clemson class DD's
  15. ↑ Sheet marked "DD-598 class"

See also

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