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OK, forgive me if this is common knowledge among the cogniscenti but why are subs red under the waterline? Is this just something that modellers do or are the real US atomic subs also red below the waterline?
Thanks,
Thanks,
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The red paint is primer,
The red paint is primer, and the whole boat is painted with it.
The black paint is added from the hull centerline up for stealth, hard for aircraft personnel to see a black hull in a dark sea.
Why black from the center of hull? MONEY
No need to spend the time and money to paint below the line of sight.
Not sure how they do it with anechoic tiles! -
The "below waterline" red is
[color=#000000]The "below waterline" red is NOT a primer, but is an ANTI-FOULING paint designed to limit or eliminate the growth of marine organisms like seaweed and barnacles. Copper (copper plating on clipper ship hulls) and zinc are two metals that were part of the paint to discourage the marine growth. Due to environmental concerns, there are new formulae for anti-fouling paints. Anti-fouling paint can be made in any color. The Germans used gray in WWII. Some countries use green. The US seems to prefer a red anti-fouling.
One of the main marine primers is know as Mare Island Epoxy, developed at Mare Island Naval Base. The MI epoxy promer comes in several colors]Comment
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Chips is right on the
Chips is right on the anti-foul paint but there is a new wrinkle now. The Navy is painting the boats all black now. The Ohio class boats are being painted all black when their time comes for example. I prefer the two tone but hey, its artistic license...
Anechoic tiles are black out of the 'box' so to speak. I watched them apply them on the USS Connecticut and they are black black black.
In any case, just a couple of comments on the latest observations...
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