"Graf Zeppelin aircraft carrier: deck?" Topic

Next i want to paint my Navwar Graf Zeppelin. I have noticed, that teh (fictional) paintings of the Frag Zeppelin als show her with an ochre deck. Not grey, like aircraft carriers of other nations. Does anybody know, why?

Example:

probably wood…..like the Japanese.

Brits I think were the only ones to have a armored deck.

Big surprise to the Japanese Kamikazes late war when they would bounce off the carriers deck!

Wood or steel I would still expect that it would have been painted if she had ever entered service.

Pic from Wiki of model in German museum:

It could possible continue to be wood color.

Many navies and people choose to just varnish over the natural wood to protect it, so it will remain a wood color.

Painting the decks gray or blue, or letting them fade to a gray color would certainly make more sense from a camo standpoint.

For P.R. the wood makes a much more pleasing picture. I'd guess it would have been painted had she ever seen service.

I question the value of a grey deck as camouflage.

The ship's wake gives her position, heading and speed away, and you can't camouflage that.

Hull-side camouflage could mislead submarine attackers but that's surely about it. Later Japanese attempts at camouflaging the deck involved not trying to hide it, but trying to make the carrier look like a less valuable ship or like part of the shoreline.

German naval practice was not to paint woodwork on other ships, so I think you can choose either varnished or painted wood.