The photograph above records the subsequent testing stage, in which one of the lieutenants (on the right) is peering through an instrument that simulates a German U-boat gunner’s view through a periscope. On the left is one of the women assistants, who is standing beside a small turntable, on which a ship model can be rotated in any direction to any degree. (Nearer, in the center foreground and on the table on the right, are apparently larger striped ship models; while in the center background, behind the woman, are other finished models on shelves.) If estimates of the ship model’s course, as assessed by experts, were substantially inaccurate, its design might then be applied to an actual ship in the harbor. In the harbors, there were ten RNVR dock officers (usually artists) who supervised the painting of the dazzle designs onto actual full-scale ships.
Jakebob70
For those not aware of the purpose, the intent of dazzle camouflage wasn’t to hide the ship, it was to mislead the U-boat commander as to the course, speed, and (sometimes) type of ship. If as a U-boat commander, you under- or over-estimate the speed, or misjudge the angle on the bow of your target, your torpedo will miss.
They also had to have a lot of different patterns so the U-boats wouldn’t necessarily see the same one twice, if you use the same one (or few), obviously they are more likely to figure it out and correct for the effect when firing a torpedo salvo.
pubwithnobeer
The photograph above records the subsequent testing stage, in which one of the lieutenants (on the right) is peering through an instrument that simulates a German U-boat gunner’s view through a periscope. On the left is one of the women assistants, who is standing beside a small turntable, on which a ship model can be rotated in any direction to any degree. (Nearer, in the center foreground and on the table on the right, are apparently larger striped ship models; while in the center background, behind the woman, are other finished models on shelves.) If estimates of the ship model’s course, as assessed by experts, were substantially inaccurate, its design might then be applied to an actual ship in the harbor. In the harbors, there were ten RNVR dock officers (usually artists) who supervised the painting of the dazzle designs onto actual full-scale ships.
Jakebob70
For those not aware of the purpose, the intent of dazzle camouflage wasn’t to hide the ship, it was to mislead the U-boat commander as to the course, speed, and (sometimes) type of ship. If as a U-boat commander, you under- or over-estimate the speed, or misjudge the angle on the bow of your target, your torpedo will miss.
They also had to have a lot of different patterns so the U-boats wouldn’t necessarily see the same one twice, if you use the same one (or few), obviously they are more likely to figure it out and correct for the effect when firing a torpedo salvo.