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

Destroyers

View by Design Number

Benson Class

View by Design Number

for DD-423

Design 3D

for DD-423

Design Number Silhouette Ships Wearing Design
for DD-423
Measure 31
Buchanan (DD-484)Lansdowne (DD-486)
McCalla (DD-488)Welles (DD-628)

Measure 32
Gleaves (DD-423)Woolsey (DD-437)
Ludlow (DD-438)Edison (DD-439)
Ericsson (DD-440)Wilkes (DD-441)
Swanson (DD-443)Lardner (DD-487)
Doyle (DD-494)Boyle (DD-600)
Mackenzie (DD-614)Nelson (DD-623)
Satterlee (DD-626)Doran (DD-634)
Herndon (DD-638)Shubrick (DD-639)
Stevenson (DD-645)Stockton (DD-646)
Drawing

The drawing for Measure 31 Design 3D for the Gleaves (DD-423) sub-class of the Benson class destroyers as dated June 5, 1944. The vertical colors were specified to be dull black (BK), ocean gray (5-O) and haze gray (5-H) and the horizontal colors were ocean gray (5-O) and deck blue (20-B). Light gray (5-L) could have been used in place of haze gray to be Measure 32. Note, the port bow black panel has been extended to a “ramp.” This drawing was used for both the Benson (DD-421) and Gleaves (DD-423) subclasses with no apparent regard for how closely the two profiles matched the full-size ship.

A Design 3D drawing was attached to the July 15, 1943, memo to PacFleet for the DD-380 Gridley class of destroyers. Design 3D was also drawn for every other class of destroyers and destroyer escorts and for most other classes of major warships including the Independence class light carriers, the Casablanca class escort carriers, Omaha class light cruisers and Cleveland class light cruisers. The battleship USS Colorado (BB-45) also used Design 3D beginning in October 1943. A handful of destroyers and some destroyer escorts used a mirrored version in which the port pattern appeared on the starboard and the starboard pattern was painted on the port side. I have identified this as 3D rev (reversed) even though there seem to be no USN drawings that would depict this.

Original drawing source: NARA 80-G-172884 and 80-G-172885.

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