The origin of U.S. Naval dazzle camouflage had been in the First World War. This history is focused on the "Dazzle" camouflages of Measures 31-32-33 of WWII and some of the camouflages that preceded their adoption. For a much more in-depth history see Alan Raven's article which you can link to by the selection below.

Many interested in ship camouflage are familiar with the drawings that the U.S. Navy produced and distributed during World War II to show how to paint the camouflage for a particular ship or class of ships. This article explores the different ways to interpret the camouflage drawings.
Written in 2013.

In October 1944, joint tests were conducted using three U.S. Navy destroyer escorts wearing British Admiralty and U.S. Navy camouflage designs "to evaluate the relative effectiveness of British and American Camouflage Measures under varied lighting and atmospheric conditions at sea."

One must first understand the fact that the sheets that have been "saved" and found in the National Archives represent only a sample of the camouflage drawings that were generated by the Bureau of Ships (BuShips) for the Camouflage section.

Many camouflage drawings allowed more than one interpretation for how to apply the pattern. This was especially evident concerning the stern views. This article shows examples of two and sometimes three different interpretations.

The Thayer System (Measure 16) was introduced in the June 1942 revision to SHIPS-2. This article identifies patterns for use by Measure 16 and how they were reused.

View how several designs changed over time, starting from the earliest drawings and continuing through the various modifications and changes that were made to adapt each design to other types and classes of ships.

The following is a letter written to The Bureau of Ships by the commanding officer of USS Heermann (DD-532) that had been in the thick of battle.