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HMS Valiant 1940-41


4scourge7

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Hi all

I`m thinking over modelling the Queen Elizabeth class battleship HMS Valiant, as she appeared during her Mediterranean service about the time of Mers-el-Kebir (3rd July 1940) and the Battle of Cape Matapan (27th to 29th March 1941).

She started the war overall light gray, and at some point changed to a four colour dazzle scheme before heading to the far east in 1944.

I suspect that this dazzle scheme may have been applied during her repair after being damaged by Italian frogmen in December 1941, but have reached a dead-end.

 

Can anyone help with the timeline of Valiant`s colour scheme please?

Thank you in advance.

 

Cheers, Ian

  

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Valiant started her WW2 career in overall Home Fleet grey and was still in this at the time of Mers-el-Kebir. Sometime after that, but in 1940, she adopted a unique two-tone scheme, presumably of Home and Mediterranean grey.   This would be what she wore at Matapan.

899eed13b494fdcd95d88cbb57e09cee.jpg

 

 

Edited by dickrd
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52 minutes ago, 4scourge7 said:

Interesting. So, she was overall light grey at Mers-el-Kebir, two-tone grey at Matapan, and finished her Med career and went to the far east in a four tone dazzle scheme.

 

Thanks for that! 👍

No, Home Fleet grey was 'dark' grey, so she was dark grey at Mers-el-Kebir.  She went from Alexandria to Durban in 1942 for repairs and joined the Eastern Fleet in August 1942 still in the Mediterranean two tone scheme. She then repainted to another, quite different, apparant two tone scheme which she wore all the way to her returning to the UK for refit in Feb 1943. I'll dig out some photos and do a montage for you to avoid confusion. 

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1 hour ago, 4scourge7 said:

Interesting. So, she was overall light grey at Mers-el-Kebir, two-tone grey at Matapan, and finished her Med career and went to the far east in a four tone dazzle scheme.

 

Thanks for that! 👍

She had more than one period in the Mediterranean and the Far East. You can read up on her WW2 history here. 

http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-01BB-HMS_Valiant.htm

 

Hopefully that will Give you some context for the series of photos dickrd will provide.

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Here is what my photos tell me was the timeline for the various schemes that Valiant wore from the completion of her rebuild in November 1939 until her disposal in 1948. I have numbered the photos as an aid to discussion if needed.

 

Valiant montage 1 - Copy

 

 

Valiant montage 2a - Copy

 

 

Valiant montage 3 - Copy

 

 

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