Modern US Navy VIRGINIA class sub in blue color?

[seadude]

I dug out the following kit from my stash hoping for a quick build this weekend. I started to think that I would paint it in it's usual standard color of a dark "black gray" color (Not regular black.) that most subs tend to have.
But then I thought "What if the sub was painted in a very dark blue color instead?"
How would that work? How would that look?
Has anyone else ever thought of painting modern subs in a dark blue scheme instead of the normal black? Maybe I could just say for whiffing purposes that the Navy was testing a new scheme for experimental purposes?

[PR19_Kit]

I vaguely remember that some British subs are, or were, painted dark blue.

Others (Harold Weaver?) will know much better than me of course.

[Rheged]

Does this article help at all?    http://rnsubs.co.uk/articles/development/camo.html

[kerick]

Didn't some subs have the dark red antifouling paint below the waterline like ships? Sounds like a candidate for your blue experimental paint.

[seadude]

I vaguely remember that some British subs are, or were, painted dark blue.

Others (Harold Weaver?) will know much better than me of course.

Yeah, I did some searching and came upon this.
https://www.seaforces.org/marint/Royal-Navy/Submarine/Trafalgar-class.htm
The HMS Trenchant and the HMS Torbay had a dark blue color on them.

Does this article help at all?    http://rnsubs.co.uk/articles/development/camo.html

Slightly.

Didn't some subs have the dark red antifouling paint below the waterline like ships? Sounds like a candidate for your blue experimental paint.

That may have been some or all of the Ohio class ballistic missile submarines and the Los Angeles class attack submarines. But I'm not going to paint my sub red nor use the light blue color from other previous ship models I built.

[Weaver]

HMS Trenchant also appeared at one point in 1999 wearing this rather odd light blue and black dazzle pattern. This was allegedly for an experimental programme only. The speculation is that this was concerned with shallow-water ops in the Mediterranean, but the "Silent Service" stayed schtum about it, of course.




(not my model)


In 1991, HMS Opossum was involved in putting special forces ashore in Kuwait and/or Iraq, and was subsequently photographed in this cammo scheme. Again, this was an attempt to make the boat less conspicuous in shallow, clear water.



HMS Otus was also involved in these ops in GW1 and received a similar but different scheme:

[PR19_Kit]

See, told you H would know all about it.   

[jcf]

This may be of interest. Prior to WWII the USN did a series of tests of colour schemes and
dark blue was one of the colours used. In the end overall black was the chosen scheme.

A Brief Pictorial History of Submarine Camouflage


The report from the 1937 tests off Oahu is here:
LOW VISIBILITY CAMOUFLAGE OF SUBMARINES TESTS AT SEA, OF JUNE AND JULY 1937

Unfortunately the photos and colour plates are not included, but page 8 has the formula
for the blue used in the tests.

Formula for paint, color c, Plate 2.


Ultramarine blue, in oil: 4 gallons
Carriage part lake, in oil: 1 quart
Inside white: 1 gallon
Black enamel: 2 gallons
Paint drier: 1 gallon
Linseed oil, raw: 5 gallons

[seadude]

I like this photo quite a bit.
The color on the lower half of the sub hull that the upward pointing arrow is pointing to is what I really like and may try to use on my sub model. It'll just take me some time to try and find an appropriate match in the Vallejo Model Air Color range of paints.
The color that the downward pointing arrow is pointing to in front of the sail is nice also. But it seems almost too dark and it looks slightly purpleish too.

[kerick]

The second purplish grey sounds like one of those WW2 Luftwaffe ones.
That last sub photo looks like its flying a Jolly Rodger!

[PR19_Kit]

That last sub photo looks like its flying a Jolly Rodger!

She is.

That's the Royal Navy's way of celebrating a successful operation on return to port.

The Otus was involved with Op Granby (The First Gulf War) and rumour has it that she deployed SAS and SBS personnel ashore during the War.

[Joe C-P]

I like the idea of dark blue on top and light blue or blue-green for the antifouling, as visual camouflage from spying camera above and below the water.   Blend in a little more, especially instead of dark red!

JoeCP

[sandiego89]

While interesting, I personally think a modern SSN would look odd in blue.  Much like the blue antifouling bottom on some ships it just looks off. 

I think a splinter scheme in grays, whites and a bit of black would be more more interesting. Ice ops perhaps?   

[Captain Canada]

Very cool thread, thanks guys !

Looking forward to seeing your rendition of a blue sub, Seadude !

[seadude]

I mainly use Vallejo Model Air Color paints for all my modeling projects. Here's their color chart:
https://acrylicosvallejo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/CC071-Model_Air-Rev20-baja.pdf
As I said back further above in Post # 8, I like the lower hull blue color on the model sub that the lower red arrow is pointing to and I'd like to try and match that color to whatever Vallejo has. Below are some color samples I've been giving consideration over.