MAKING THE TROOPSHIPS GREY
A COSTLY PROCESS SEVEN TONS OF PAINT FOR THE ATHEiVIC. A not inconsiderable item in fitting out the Homo liners for service as troopships is the cost of painting the vessels "all grey"—the colour which at sea makes them as nearly invisible as possible to the look-out from any other vessel. White glistens in the suii —it radiates light—and when seen from ,afar is often mistaken for a eail until the smudge of the steamer's smoke .declares it to bo otherwise. Black, on the other hand, is said to be equally as visible. When the ocean waves are 'foamed-tipped or the sea is gleaming placidly in the sunshine a black object is easily picked up ever so far away.' Even a dark-green bottle floating hundreds of yards .away often catches tho accustomed eye of the look-out. Grey is the colour which harmonises best with the ocean element in all its varying moods, and has been adopted (m v/ar-timo) by the warships of all nations. At all times when the light io the least uncertain nian-o'-war grey is. a great aid to obscurity. It is more than probable that when the Lion and the New Zealand crept up in tho mist to the assistance of the saucy Arethusa in the action fought off Heligoland a few days ago, their colour enabled them to get closer without discovery than would have been the case were tne grim fighting-ships arrayed in pigment of any other shade. ' '
It is interesting _ to know approximately what the painting of the ■ troopships of New Zealand cost the country. Five of the eight troopers on the tide were painted (on commission) by Messrs. Smith and Smith, of Wellington, Ohristchurch, and Dunedin. .' A rough idea can be formed of the total cost when it is stated that the firm's debit on account of the Athenic was £1028, of which amount over £500 was exponded on wages. No less a quantity than seven tons of paint was required to "grey" the big linor, and naturally there was a heavy expenditure in brushes, staging, cartage, buckets, and a dozen other accessories to euch a big job. Smith and Smith also painted the Stair of India, Ruapehu, Orari, and Limerick, and (in part) the Arawa and Hawko's Bay. Messrs. Tingey and Co., of Wellington, painted the Waimana. Taking the Athenic as a criterion tho painting of this fleet of troopships must have cost between £7000 and £8000, which seems an enormous amount for ouch work. Still, it was work that evidently had to be done, nnd it was promptly done. A record was put up in the case of the Star of India.- The order to paint that vessel was received at 4 o'clock on a Thursday afternoon, nnd by noon on Monday the entire ship had been painted from stem to stern, from mast-hoad to watedino. Thanks to good, weather the men wore able to work right through, and they wore.kept going on the Saturday afternoon and tho Sunday. Those engaged on Sunday woro paid as high as is. 4d. par hour, and some of tho painters engaged (the gang included many watcrsiders) lifted bigger wages than they had ever earned in their lives before. As it turns out there was no need for sucli hurry nnd expenditure, but. that was not known at tho time. .
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Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2259, 19 September 1914, Page 8
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559MAKING THE TROOPSHIPS GREY Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2259, 19 September 1914, Page 8
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