Ship with dazzle camouflage at dock, 1914-1918 (c)

Photograph, World War One (1914-1918).

Ships were painted in dazzle camouflage not to conceal, but to break up their silhouette and confuse the enemy about the distance and course of the vessel. Dazzle camouflage was invented in 1917 by Norman Wilkinson, a British marine artist and naval officer in an attempt to reduce the number of British merchant ships lost to German submarines. By mid-June 1918 this camouflage had been applied to over 2,300 British warships and merchant vessels.

From the third of three albums compiled by Lilian Franklin OBE, First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, 1914-1918.