Camouflage Paint For A PT Boat

The National World War II Museum is completing the restoration of PT-305, a Higgins built Patrol Torpedo Boat, and one of the final touches is a new coat of paint.  Contrary to movie portrayals, however, most naval vessels during WWII were not painted flat gray.  Instead, ships carried a variety of camouflage colors and patterns to help conceal their size, speed and course.  For PT-305, the pattern was "Measure 32 modified."   

“Measure 32 modified” was an experimental pattern intended specifically for making torpedo attacks. The “Thayer blue” on the forward part of the hull made the vessel more difficult to see from a distance at night when approaching a target head-on during the initial stages of a torpedo attack. The color transitions to a “deck blue” on the aft part of the boat to aid in the retreat from a torpedo attack.