Naval History Homepage and Site Search. World War 1 at Sea - Contemporary Accounts. Published by John Murray, London Minelaying and minesweeping - Mines destroyed to Feb. Losses in July and August - The sinking of the s. In German ports July, August 4th - Seizure of the s.
Bury - Prison hulks - Physical ill-treatment - Captain E. The silent pressure of sea power - Losses and new construction of British shipping - Defence problems - Success of the convoy system - The rich heritage of the war pp. A consequence of the war, entirely unforeseen, was a complete transformation in the appearance of the British Mercantile Marine, hitherto so sombre and austere. It might have seemed at first glance that this was the result of madness without method, but, in fact, orderly method was the basis of the whole practice of the deception.
Many changes were made in the schemes for painting warships, and at the outbreak of war in , an inquiry was made into the whole question of visibility. Large objects obtain their appearance of relief mainly by the contrasts of light and shade, and in every vessel there are areas upon which shadow is thrown. This is especially the case with large passenger ships, built with high promenade and hurricane decks.
A distinguished American artist, Mr. Abbott H. Thayer, had propounded what became known as Thayer's Law of Shadow Elimination,. However, it was found that no paint, which was itself dependent on the sky for light, could overcome the visibility of a shadow of marked density sufficiently to be of practical service.
In one instance only was it admittedly a useful means of deception, where a vessel had a marked flare to the bow. By painting the upper portion of the hull white and the lower portion grey or blue, the appearance of a flare was largely neutralised, the effect being a marked flattening of the bows, and consequent alteration in the character of the vessel.
