How long after the Second World War did Royal Navy warships retain camouflage?
Short answerMost had shifted to grey schemes by about 1947, but visual concealment still mattered because many attackers lacked radar or continued to use visual identification.
NotesMost Royal Navy warships had abandoned patterned camouflage by about 1947, and many already used variations of grey near the end of the war. Mediterranean light and water conditions are contrasted with the murkier North Sea and North Atlantic when explaining the move towards grey schemes. Radar did not remove the need for visual concealment, because many attacking ships and aircraft still lacked it. Even an opponent equipped with radar could use visual identification to aim its guns.