U.S. Navy Set 1
Price: $18.00


usn1_1.jpg (375833 bytes)usn1_2.jpg (380396 bytes)This first set of U.S. Navy World War II ship paint chips covers the grays and blues in use from the pre-war period through roughly early 1945. The two prewar grays were used by the U.S. Navy from the end of World War I until 1941. The U.S. Navy began experiments in the late 1930s to develop camouflage paints and applications, first publishing the results in January 1941 in the form of instructions contained in “Ships-2.” The range of purple-blue colors developed from the earlier experiments became the basis for the colors contained in this set. These paint chips have been carefully matched to Navy Yard-issued paint chips when available, or to the 1929 Munsell Book of Color that was the basis for the official Navy specifications. In one instance – 5S Sea Blue – the set includes three separate chips, with Saea Blue A and Sea Blue C matched to separate Navy Yard paint samples, while Sea Blue B is matched to the Munsell specifications; all would be correct for use. While these colors continued in use until the end of the war, a shortage of blue pigment in late 1944 led to the development of a set of neutral grays which were often used in combination with the purple-blues.

This set contains 20 chips on two sheets and covers the following colors:

PREWAR: 

#5 Standard Navy Gray
#20 Standard Deck Gray

Early 1941

5-L Light Gray
5-O Ocean Gray
5-D Dark Gray

Late 1941:

5-H Haze Gray
5-O Ocean Gray
Cavite Blue
5-S Sea Blue A
5-S Sea Blue B
5-S Sea Blue C
5-N Navy Blue
5-B Thayer Blue
20-B Deck Blue 

1942:

20B Revised Deck Blue
250N Norfolk Flight Deck Stain
#21 Flight Deck Stain

 

1943

#82 Black
5-P Pale Gray
5-L Light Gray