HMS Sheffield, Falklands, vertical black id marking,....what was it for?

[tonyot]

Hiya Folks,

               Does anybody know what the vertical black line was for on the side of the hull and funnel on HMS Sheffield when she was hit by the Exocet in the Falklands War? It must have been an id of some sort,........ does anybody know what? Was it to signify the outer defence cordon to SHAR pilots?

 

Cheers

          Tony

[bootneck]

Hi Tony,

Argentina bought two Type 42's, ARA Hercules and ARA Santisima Trinidad, and so the black stripe on RN vessels was identification that they were British ships.

 

Mike

[tonyot]

6 minutes ago, bootneck said:

Hi Tony,

Argentina bought two Type 42's and so the black stripe on RN vessels was to identification them as a British ships.

 

Mike

Ah of course,...... it is so obvious now that you`ve told me LOL!!! Thanks Mike! 

Cheers

         Tony

Edited May 5, 2019 by tonyot

[Whitewolf]

Our ships also had the union Jack painted on the roof of the bridge

[Wafu]

50 minutes ago, Stealthman said:

Our ships also had the union Jack painted on the roof of the bridge

As far as I am aware, it was only the ships that sailed from the gulf guard duties, the Armilla patrol. All Royal Navy ships had the union flag painted on a prominent upper surface, on the Type 21’s it was the bridge.

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

Wafu is right; the bridge roof Union Flag was an Armilla Patrol (Gulf) thing.  My ship, for instance (Fearless) never had any such thing.

[Whitewolf]

The Type 42's in the Falklands all head the Union Jack painted on the Bridge roof and the Black vertical Stripes - these were not applied to other Task Force vessels It was purely to ensure our Type 42 Destroyers could be quickly identified as friendly by Submarines, Surface Vessels and Aircraft. The markings were applied en route at  Ascension Island.

Edited May 12, 2019 by Whitewolf