Dazzle Camo Confused Enemies

Like Mountbatten Pink, Dazzle camouflage was an effort by the military to develop a unique, if not counterintuitive, way to conceal ships during combat. Regardless of the color of the paint, boats were difficult to conceal on the water. A reserve lieutenant from the Royal Navy came up with the novel suggestion to not conceal them at all.

The use of dazzle camouflage was suggested as a way to confuse the opponent rather than conceal a vessel. Stripes and forms would be painted on ships at strange angles and intersections. The result was that it would be challenging to comprehend, rather than that the ship would be hidden. The vessel would be visible to adversaries, and the Dazzle paint job would confuse them. It became challenging to determine the vessel's size, distance, and even the direction it was moving in.

One-fifth of the British Navy's ships had already been sunk by the end of 1916, so they were ready to try just about anything. King George was asked to comment on the model's perceived direction of travel after being shown it. "South by west," the King commanded. In truth? southeast to east. If an opposing gunner couldn't determine the direction in which a boat was traveling, he or she wouldn't know where to aim.

In the end, the findings weren't all that clear in terms of their applicability. Both many and many ships were sunk. Has Dazzle been a success? The response was affirmative for anyone on a boat that wasn't sunk.