Topic: HMS Kent WW1 paint scheme (Read 21727 times)

Jonty · « **Reply #50 on:** April 28, 2013, 12:07:12 am »

Always worth a browse where paint and camouflage are concerned:

https://www.whiteensignmodels.com/

raflaunches · « **Reply #51 on:** April 28, 2013, 08:06:42 am »

Thanks Dodes and Jonty, I'll try to find a copy of the book and I'll visit Whit ensign models later today.
Who knows, she could be sailing in a few years time!

Ian K · « **Reply #52 on:** April 28, 2013, 10:55:11 am »

Hi Nick,

Some of the Monmouth class were painted in the dazzle scheme, check this link to HMS Donegal http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=hms+donegal&FORM=HDRSC2#view=detail&id=212D81973D34FDC584452EFFED325BF58152B0ED&selectedIndex=6

Regards

Ian

Pondweed · « **Reply #53 on:** April 29, 2013, 12:16:53 pm »

Quote from: tigertiger on April 19, 2013, 03:10:46 pm

Perhaps wartime is not a good time to walk around photographing ships. It would be interesting to see how many photos are taken in peacetime compared to wartime.

Cameras were banned aboard ships in early WW1, there was instructions that they had to be placed in the care of the captain.

As time went on, the restriction was relaxed and it became the habit of officers to have a draw-sting bag to take to their action station with them. It was filled with little comforts and neccessities containing things like an apple & drink, a towel, jumper, scarve, pillow, pad & pencil, etc. They could be there a long time and along with items they needed, the contents aided comfort.

A camera was often in his bag and indeed, these are the photographs of battles of Heligoland Bight, Dogger Bank and especially Jutland, along with all the rest of the photographs of WW1 ships out at sea. IIRC, it was only after Jutland that anything like an official photographer was consented to.

My take on the watercolour: if one Monmouth class was painted disruptively, then Kent was probably likewise.

dodes · « **Reply #54 on:** May 01, 2013, 12:47:36 pm »

Hi RFlaunches.
Send me a PM with your email address and I will send a scan of the relavent page to you, but it seems a Wilkinson design, he used different shades of colour.

linux · « **Reply #55 on:** June 02, 2013, 06:40:04 pm »

I too have been intrigued by that painting of HMS Kent since it was first listed. But I have never seen a photograph of HMS Kent painted in anything other than grey. That's not to say she never wore camouflage, only that the photographic evidence is absent.

Photographic evidence for other members of the Monmouth class wearing camouflage does exist however: Berwick, Cornwall, Donegal, and Essex. So it's not impossible that a photo of Kent wearing camouflage will eventually turn up.

raflaunches · « **Reply #56 on:** June 02, 2013, 07:51:34 pm »

Hi Linux

Fingers crossed that one day...

I actually got a reply from the mysterious department of documents last week. They informed me that the documents of all the listed schemes for dazzle is held by them but there was no evidence of HMS Kent in a dazzle scheme. They did say that they have all the recorded schemes in their collection but it does not necessarily mean that there were not un official schemes applied to some ships, such as the Kent.
They sent me a link to their photos of ships in dazzle colours but I couldn't see her. Never mind!

dodes · « **Reply #57 on:** June 05, 2013, 09:31:32 pm »

I should not worry Nick, a lot of vessels in the last war used to change their paintwork each year depending on how the C O felt.

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #58 on:** February 02, 2014, 03:15:17 am »

Found this via facebook:

An Illustrated History of Camouflaged Ships
http://ow.ly/tb39y

Pondweed · « **Reply #59 on:** February 02, 2014, 11:55:17 am »

Quote from: raflaunches on April 13, 2013, 08:34:14 pm

Hi everyone

I thought I knew about the paint scheme that the armoured cruiser HMS Kent carried from when she entered service to when she was scrapped in 1920.
Essentially black, white and buff for 1901-1913ish
Dark admiralty grey 1914-1918
White and buff china station 1918-1920 (dates are approximate!)

I found these pictures on eBay today...

I know it's a painting but is there any evidence for this dazzle scheme? I'm interested because I have a hull of her in progress and I wanted to paint her differently to the usual grey or black because it looks fantastic!

Minotaur, dated as it came to me.

mudway · « **Reply #60 on:** February 02, 2014, 12:08:57 pm »

Not a photo but a painting by Cecil King.
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/15293

raflaunches · « **Reply #61 on:** February 02, 2014, 03:08:20 pm »

Obviously great minds think alike! I was only thinking of this thread the other day because I fetched my Kent hull from the cellar to the upper workshop storage area. I think I was even uttering 'don't worry, you're next!' to her!
Just got to finish the HMS Prince George battleship project first! Thanks for the pictures and the link, even more tempted to fit some prop shafts... No must resist... Must finish current project!

ballastanksian · « **Reply #62 on:** February 16, 2014, 10:39:12 pm »

How about that! I was only looking at the illustrated history site thisafternoon. I have found a plan set and article by Glynn Guest for a M class destroyer and wondered wether any were so camouflaged? Then I see Mr Launches has the same dastardly scheme and have folled this thread with great interest.

I have to say that grey is a bit dull, so giving your warship the 'razzle-dazzle' is quite a fun idea! I like the semicircle of blue and the pink, I thought that the only colours used in WW1 were Black and white but your watercolour and the site have proved me most pleasingly wrong.

So, Which Prince George are you working on? Please tell me it that damn fine Majestic class predreadnaught?

raflaunches · « **Reply #63 on:** February 16, 2014, 10:56:11 pm »

Hi ballastanksian

Glad you've found this thread helpful, it's certainly opened my eyes.

To answer your question, yes that's my Majestic Pre dreadnought, the third in the class, HMS Prince George.
She is being built from a Deans Marine HMS Hannibal kit with a few mods, I should be restarting her this week now that Op Pitch Pole or op Sandbag it's been nicknamed by the RAF is calming down. Wish me luck I'm hoping she'll be finished for the Mayhem at Wicksteed weekend!

ballastanksian · « **Reply #64 on:** February 17, 2014, 08:37:54 pm »

I saw the start of your topic on her construction though I do not think you had chosen the ship at the point that I left off reading (A man needs his cuppa you know:O) but I doubt not that Prince George will look damn fine.

It would be marvelous to see all eight or nine in review. I desire one greatly but am just getting into model boats which is a bit of a path from my current discipline of Military vehicles and weapons. How did you find the build?

raflaunches · « **Reply #65 on:** February 18, 2014, 09:08:29 pm »

Hi Ian

Thanks for your kind comments, the build is good, the kit is a very good place to start super detailing, the etched brass sheets are brilliant and the GRP hull is very good quality, the ram bow is nice and thick!
I must admit I am very much enjoying the build so far, I'm now entering the repetitive phase, I'm cutting out all the portholes from brass tube and putting Perspex rod into the centre-only approx 50 per side!
I bought a set of drawings from the Greenwich Maritime Museum which help showing some of the differences in the kit (which is of Hannibal) to the early members of the class- Majestic, Mars, and Prince George. Ironically the only different colour scheme is of Hannibal in experimental Green, but a friend of mine who helped develop the kit has made this interesting scheme. So I'm going to do Kent to add some interest!

ballastanksian · « **Reply #66 on:** February 18, 2014, 09:16:04 pm »

I really want to see how that scheme comes out. The Janes warships 1919 book shows several tenders and suchlike in various patterns of razzledazzle that make them worth doing for that alone.

ballastanksian · « **Reply #67 on:** October 06, 2014, 07:46:41 pm »

On the Dazzle theme, I was lent a book By Batchelor and Chant called 'The complete encyclopedia of warships 1790-2006 that has some information on the scheme and its designers. According to the above authors, the designs were ceveloped by artists at the Royal Academy in Piccadilly.

So if you are looking to further validate HMS Kent's sheme they might have information in their archives?

raflaunches · « **Reply #68 on:** October 06, 2014, 08:04:07 pm »

Mmm might be time for another investigation in to the archives, love research!!!

Bob K · « **Reply #69 on:** October 06, 2014, 08:25:17 pm »

This thread is becoming even more interesting, now that I have acquired a part completed HMS Kent. Based on the Deans hull, at 56.5 inches (1.42 m) it was a challenge to fit into my little Aqila. All the photos supplied with her show her in standard WWI grey, which she should have been painted for the South Atlantic. I have been reluctant to post pictures as the excellent workmanship so far is not my own, and I have a torpedo ram to finish first.

The hull is fully detailed to main deck level with superstructure started. I am looking forward to starting the deck planking, stanchions etc etc.

ballastanksian · « **Reply #70 on:** October 06, 2014, 09:16:42 pm »

It has the potential to be a method of using all those odd Humbrol tinlets you have lying around in your 'man cave' Bob. references so far seen here and in the Batchelor/Grant book suggest, Light Blue, Dark Blue, Grey, Black, mid/ Grass green, Pink and White.

The images of leviathan as shown in the link provided by martin might be a little too advertising friendly with the bright red areas, but who says it is wrong?

I found an image of Achilles (Warrior class) with the Razzle Dazzle scheme on Google Images, so I hope to try this artistry out on a vessel in due course.

dodes · « **Reply #71 on:** October 11, 2014, 09:18:54 pm »

I find it interesting the discussions on the various paint systems used on warships in time of conflict, and I wonder who is right, when there is such little hard evidence of colour photographs ( though there is a method now to turn B/W pics into reasonable colour pics ), as depending on the mood of the first lieutenant and Commanding Officer these colours can change quite dramatically. As the WW2 Norfolk had about 6 x different paint systems through the last war. It might be of interest in looking at the colours off miniature model warships made just after WW1 they are usually painted in a very dark grey, I gave one of a WW1 county class to RFA. But it is a baffling and very frustrating experience to get the right colour system for a certain period. Myself I look at old original paintings of Victorian warships to study the various paint systems as they were painted by professional painters for the discerning eye.

Bob K · « **Reply #72 on:** October 11, 2014, 09:31:36 pm »

Long ago the Imperial War Museum had rows and rows of glass cases containing models of just about every warship to a common scale. Most were produced at the time and were probably very representative in terms of silhouette armament and colour scheme. Sadly all of that got cleared out to make way for "quick walk through dioramas for schools".
So much useful material has been lost to posterity, packed away in warehouse crates.

mudway · « **Reply #73 on:** October 13, 2014, 02:49:42 am »

Quote from: Bob K on October 11, 2014, 09:31:36 pm

Long ago the Imperial War Museum had rows and rows of glass cases containing models of just about every warship to a common scale. Most were produced at the time and were probably very representative in terms of silhouette armament and colour scheme. Sadly all of that got cleared out to make way for "quick walk through dioramas for schools".
So much useful material has been lost to posterity, packed away in warehouse crates.

A lot of the IWM's models are available to view on line if you search their archives such as this small (1/192 scale!) HDML. Museums are good too. I've attcahed a photo of a 1/48th scale Rodney builder's model. Hidden in a dark corner and even with a flash in use, you can see how dark the grey was.

dodes · « **Reply #74 on:** November 05, 2014, 08:13:42 pm »

The colour system on the RAF rescue tender, reminded me of a painting done in the last war of Portland harbour and the R N -ML's and some of the earlier MTB's of the British Powerboat class were all painted in the same colour system.

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Author Topic: HMS Kent WW1 paint scheme (Read 21727 times)