Dazzle, Disruption and Concealment: The Science, Psychology and Art of Ship Camouflage

Many people are familiar with the term ‘dazzle design’, even perhaps as it was applied to ships during wartime. But what of its origins and objectives as a defensive practice at sea? Moreover, was it the only approach to the painted protection of merchant and naval vessels during the two world wars? Presented here are the origins of maritime camouflage, drawing on early influences of natural concealment as seen in living creatures and plants, followed by the emergence of two fundamentally-o...