Mothball Fleet of Gareloch – KGV Class Colours?

[Mr. Church]

This possibly should be posted in the Cold War section due to the date? However I’ll post it here for completeness’ sake as that is where the majority of the discussion around Second World War King George V Class Battleship Camouflage is..

 

In the 1950s footage of the King George V Class battleships in mothballs in Gareloch, Duke of York and Anson have a visibly darker hull than their superstructures. It’s very prominent in this footage of Duke of York from 1952:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r2R8ZdP3rM

 

Duke of York and Anson still seem to have the dark hull, albeit much more faded looking in this footage of them from 1957 when the Defence White Paper condemned them to be scrapped:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tmllHc271I

 

Curiously King George V herself seems to have retained an all light grey hull and superstructure throughout her time in mothballs in Gareloch near Duke of York and Anson. As is clearly visible in the second video above.

 

To my knowledge, by the time of their decommissioning, all of the surviving KGV Class battleships had dispensed with their immediate post-war Australian style blue hull, light grey upperworks colour schemes in favour of overall light grey on both hull and superstructure. So it seems Duke of York and Anson's hulls were repainted the darker colour upon going into mothballs. 

 

Has anyone any thoughts or firm knowledge on what Duke of York and Anson’s dark hull colour was when in mothballs? Presumably a medium or dark grey? I imagine pre-war Home Fleet Dark Grey Shade / G10 no longer existed by the 1950s? Unless there was lots of surplus wartime stock of it lying around? Thanks.

[dickrd]

It will have been dark grey synthetic resin paint Pattern 4942.

[Mr. Church]

16 hours ago, dickrd said:

It will have been dark grey synthetic resin paint Pattern 4942.

 

Thanks dick. Was hoping someone would know exactly. Good to know it was a dark grey.

 

Curiously Anson appears to be in all over dark grey while in mothballs in this film listed as being from 1950 (The title of 'HMS Anson being taken out of mothballs' seems wrong though):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvtlR8Ar3cU

 

So her upperworks must have been repainted into light grey at some point while in mothballs.