"French Deck Color 1939-41" Topic

What color were French decks from the beginning of the war to the shuttling at Toulon? What paint does everyone choose for this? Thanks.

Steel decks were hull colour. Either pale grey for the Mediterranean and Colonial…or mid grey Atlantic. This remained standard but was apparently darkened by individual ships captains. Wood areas remained wood.

Ships with dark lower hull may have used this on upper areas.

Ships that still burnt coal used black around the funnels and aft of the funnels.

I dont think they

shuttled

anything though. :-)

Thanks very much!

Weren't the linoleum decking areas on the destroyers a shade of deep red/crimson?

Yes. I had overlooked the linoleum. It was a very deep chestnut colour. It was used on many ships where wood was not feasible. This included bridge wings and around guns, as well as strips along the upper decks.

Any ideas on a specific paint to approximate that linoleum?

Ummm….well….errrrr….Chestnut???

But if it's a very dark red chestnut…..

To supplement what Mal said above,

I have photos showing the "wine red" (rouge-Bordeaux) linoleum on the quarterdecks of Fantasque and Guepard class contre-torpilleurs (super destroyers). There were also small amounts around 5.5" gun mounts, but too small to see in my scales, so I leave it out. In the absence of further information to the contrary, I extend this pattern to all WWII French DDs. The quarterdeck linoleum extends generally to the middle of the after deckhouse, per the 1/6000 model image below. Ignore the apparently different side and superstructure colors; on the 1/6000 models they are actually the same medium gray. Also, the Bearn's gray deck color is a speculative "what-if" based on her being used as a carrier in my games, rather than as an aircraft transport. Peacetime deck color was wood; search TMP for "Bearn".

The following model of the CL Emile Bertin in a Toulon museum shows "wine red" linoleum on the quarterdeck and after deckhouse. Less dust on the deckhouse, which is where the rats like to perch after hours.

Here are some images from a Paris museum showing the CA Algerie, along with side, steel deck, and wood deck colors. The BB Dunkerque is in the background. I have seen these models in person, and the actual colors are slightly darker (the Mediterranean light gray is not white). Also, wood decking on actual ships probably isn't this yellow; it's a model after all. The stripes on the turrets are typically from the Vichy period, but I like the way they look, so put them on the 1939-1940 period ships as well. These stripes can be seen on all classes of warships during the Vichy period, including BB Strasbourg, CAs, CLs, and large and small destroyers. Check B&W photos to see which turrets / gun mounts.

I found some La Galissonniere class CL painting information, from "Les Croiseurs
de 7600 Tonnes" by Jean Moulin. When placed in service, all 6 were painted in
the standard Mediterranean light gray. The 3 ships of the 4th cruiser division
were briefly painted in the darker Atlantic gray for the first half of 1940, to
match the other ships of the Atlantic-based Force de Raide. Funnel caps were
black. Decks were mostly dark gray painted steel, along with deckhouse roofs,
except for the quarterdeck from aft of the hanger. (The book says from in just
in front of the hanger, but the photos seem to show otherwise). In the first 2
ships to complete, La Galissonniere and Jean de Vienne, the quarterdecks in
question were covered with "rouge-Bordeaux" wine-red linoleum to within 10 feet
of the stern, with the last 10 feet reverting to the standard dark gray painted
steel. The last 4 ships of the class are stated to have teak planking replacing
the wine-red linoleum, and this was apparently in place by the time the war
started.

MH

Wow!! Very useful Hinds!! Thanks so much!!

Not a deck image, but posted here for those painting French DDs. During the war the hull numbers were changed to a brick red color, per articles in Warship International magazine from the 1970s and 1980s. These are CinC 1/2400 models of the 6 Fantasque-class ships, which comprised the 8th and 10th contre-torpilleur divisions. The "X" previx was used for contre torpilleurs (non-literal translation is super destroyers) and a "T" was used for torpilleurs (destroyers).

Numbering done with a Rotring / Pelikan "Graphos" technical fountain pen and small-diameter tubular nib, using red-brown ink. I haven't seen anyone try this in a scale smaller than 1/2400 yet.

MH

Hinds, that's really outstanding work! Deeply impressed!!