HMS Prince of Wales lower hull colour

[dickrd]

It is never going to be a good time to mention this but for those with an interest in the colour of the lower hull of the KGV Class battleship HMS Prince of Wales, I have consulted the Ships’ Covers for the KGV Class held by the NMM. A note states that MacArthur’s composition was designated to be used on the bottom of HMS Prince of Wales. MacArthur’s anti fouling composition came in black or grey. The lower hull of HMS Prince of Wales is visible in photos of her in drydock after the Bismarck action and when sinking. These show that her lower hull was lighter than (the black of) her boot topping indicating that her bottom was grey.

 

The shades of grey (and red) anti fouling compositions used by the RN in WW2 varied according to the different manufacturers. Photos seem to show that MacArthur’s grey anti fouling might have been very slightly lighter than Home Fleet grey.

Edited May 23, 2022 by dickrd
typo

[S-boat 55]

Thanks for taking the time to research these things,  with all the variety of shades etc it maybe spreadsheet time lol