TSS on Sea Hurricane

[Aidrian]

I though I had this all under control...now I am not so sure...

Colours are known; Extra Dark Sea Grey , Dark Slate Grey over Sky with pattern generally as for land schemes; A&B schemes might be found

However looking at photos I am no longer sure which colour goes where. Using the area which surrounds the cockpit as a base for reference on a land machine, this was normally in Dark Green in both A and B schemes (Middle Stone on desert finishes).

On the restored old Warden Sea Hurricane this is in EDSG so we can set the pattern on this machine from that. EDSG replaces Dark Green and Dark Slate Grey replaces Dark Earth.

Now other photos seem to suggest that this was reversed - EDSG where there would be Dark Earth and Dark Slate Grey where there was Dark Green; allowing for the fact that many machines were conversions and in service repainting and son on might explain some oddities, but I am no longer sure which is the normal and which is the oddity or whether the system chaged according to factory mark or what have you

When I look at other people's models it seems there is no wide degree of certainty; is there an official version of TSS vs land scheme equivalents?

Edited August 5, 2014 by Aidrian

[Troy Smith]

This is a very good question Aidrian.

The variations maybe the result of factory or MU applied paint, and the 'dark shaded parts on camo diagram' confusion?

Given Dark Slate Grey is a very green grey, it's possible that the navy 'green' went over the Dark green and the EDSG went over the Ocean Grey?

a quick look at the old Mason 1962 book on the Hurricane, and it seems apart from a batch of IIC's [built KW***, naval conversion serialed NF688-NF703] which were done at Langley, the others Sea Hurricanes are not listed in much detail.

I'm presuming the rest were conversion not done by the factory?

A question that now comes to mind is how many Sea Hurricanes were made?

No time now for more searching.

cheers

T

[Graham Boak]

The conversions were done by General Aircraft. Sturtivant's Fleet Air Arm Aircraft has a complete list by serial but I haven't added them up one-by one. From memory a rough guide came to around 400+, (about 20 pages of about 20 a/c per page) but don't hold me to that!

[Nick Millman]

It might not help but EDSG and DSG have a much lower contrast than DG and DE - 2% vs 6% and even less than OG and DG = 9%. Post-war FAA experiments reveal quite dramatic colour shift in EDSG to a point where it could appear significantly lighter than DSG which in a monochrome image could become the "darker" colour.

Nick