U.S. Navy Ships in WWII Dazzle Camouflage 1944-1945

Destroyer Escorts

View by Design Number

Cannon

View by Design Number

for DE-51

Design 22D

for DE-51

Design Number Silhouette Ships Wearing Design
for DE-51
Measure 31
Wesson (DE-184)Swearer (DE-186)
Darby (DE-218)Paul G. Baker (DE-642)
Vammen (DE-644)Borum (DE-790)

Measure 32
Coolbaugh (DE-217)Lake (DE-301)
Foreman (DE-633)
Drawing

This is a composite of the two drawing sheets for the Buckley class destroyer escorts for design 31/22D dated January 27, 1944. Three vertical colors indicated are; dull black (BK), ocean gray (5-O) and haze gray (5-H), but the views label light gray (5-L) as the lightest. The small area of the lightest color would still make this dark enough to be Measure 31 even if light gray were used. Notice also that the whaleboat has been erased from the port view as well as the trunk to the stack that was behind it. The stern view is blank so presumably the dull black panels should wrap around from each side. There may have been a Measure 32 version of this pattern that would have had to have smaller medium (5-O) panels.

This design first appeared as a pattern for Measure 16 in June 1942. It was later drawn in December 1943 for the Fletcher and Allen M. Sumner classes of destroyers and later drawn for the Porter and Benson classes of destroyers. The battleship USS Missouri (BB-63) used Design 22D in Measure 32 colors of dull black, ocean gray and light gray. Design 22D was used for the Atlanta class light cruisers USS San Juan (CL-54) and USS Flint (CL-97). They were painted using Measure 32 in three colors, even though the drawing specified Measure 33 colors.

Original drawing sources: NARA 80-G-105502 and 80-G-105503.

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