William Andrew Mackay, the muralist from yesterday's post, also happens to be a major contributor to the designs for Dazzle Ships during WWI and WWII. These designs are a form of inventive camouflage and intended not to conceal the ships so much as to confuse the spotters, making it hard to tell their size and direction. There was some debate as to whether or not this was tactically effective but it was very popular and considered a morale booster for crews and onlookers alike.
The pics above were found at the RISD Fleet Library and Bobolinks Books.
At first I thought this was interesting art. It's quit facinating that they actually used it. My jaded side says they would'nt do it today unless someone could figure out how to measure the value.
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