Norman Wilkinson | Dazzle Plans for US Ships 14C

Type 14 Design C British Ship Camouflage (c1917)

Above Proposal for a British "dazzle camouflage" scheme (showing both sides of the same ship), designed by UK artist and camoufleur Norman Wilkinson (note signature). It appears to be one of a number of plans (as many as 180) prepared by Wilkinson and his team of British artists for use on US merchant ships c1917 in advance of the formation of an American Navy Camouflage Section. Labels omitted and image restored.

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A CAMOUFLAGE BUREAU in The Bridgeport Telegram (Bridgeport CT), May 4, 1918, p. 16—

Few of us were aware that the [US] Navy department has such a thing as "a camouflage bureau." Yet there is such a bureau. Recently a British officer slipped over here without heralding and taught the bureau a few tricks.

Commander Norman Wilkinson is the man. He introduced what is called "the dazzle system" of painting vessels. It has been highly successful and our government employs it.

One thing is certain, Commander Wilkinson knows how to dodge even the newspaper fellows. He came into the land and was about to return home before they found it out. Incidentally he made his trip to this country part of his honeymoon journey, getting married just before coming over. Now he goes back to more active service.

It is important to know that the Allied government loses no opportunity to test everything that looks promising for fooling the subsea pirates.