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Discussion » Questions » Military » Naval warships are painted battleship gray as a camouflage upon the high seas; are submarines painted black to make less visible underwater?

Naval warships are painted battleship gray as a camouflage upon the high seas; are submarines painted black to make less visible underwater?

Posted - August 29, 2021

Responses


  • 1919
    Yes that's exactly why submarines are painted black.  black makes them less visible from the air and other submarines. 
      August 29, 2021 2:19 PM MDT
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  • 44173
    Submarines don't have windows.
      August 29, 2021 3:23 PM MDT
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  • 1919
    LOL!!! Really. :):)
      August 29, 2021 4:00 PM MDT
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  • 44173
    Really. I worked on submarines in the Navy. No windows.
      August 29, 2021 6:22 PM MDT
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  • 1919
    Hehehe of course I know submarines don't have windows.:):)
      August 30, 2021 8:54 AM MDT
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  • 44173
    Have you had the opportunity to tour one, considering where you live?
      August 30, 2021 11:25 AM MDT
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  • 1919
    Yes I have, The first nuclear submarine the Nautilus is on permanent display At the submarine force museum in Groton Connecticut, The museum and tours of the Nautilus are free to the public. 
      August 30, 2021 5:59 PM MDT
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  • 44173
    I have been on about 30.
      August 31, 2021 5:55 AM MDT
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  • 1919
    That's really impressive. :)
      August 31, 2021 9:48 AM MDT
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  • 6023
    Some submarines have windows.
    But those are recreation or research vessels.  Not sure about those drug-smuggling subs.
      August 30, 2021 11:33 AM MDT
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  • 44173
    True.

      August 30, 2021 12:08 PM MDT
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  • 13395
    The Beatles and their yellow submarine would be pretty visible.
      August 29, 2021 3:37 PM MDT
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  • 1919
    Oh boy that would be so cool!
      August 31, 2021 3:53 AM MDT
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  • 44173
    It is most for camo when they are surfaced. When submerged far enough, it makes no difference. This post was edited by Element 99 at August 31, 2021 5:54 AM MDT
      August 29, 2021 3:30 PM MDT
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  • 3680
    The  black colour is that of the sound-absorbent coatings on them, but it does makes them harder to see when surfaced, where their profiles are very low anyway.

    Underwater, the colour is unimportant because they are invisible optically from each other, and from ships and aircraft. Naval submarines do not have windows and underwater flood-lamps; and the periscope is used only to see what surface ships are in the vicinity.

    They are detected by sonar, but by listening for them - warships and submarines of all navies do not prowl around emitting loud hunting "pings" all the time. They can "ping" if necessary, but do so only extremely sparingly because it reveals their own presence for a very long way around. The continual pinging myth is a Hollywood invention based on WW2 U-boat hunting tactics; and modern submarines patrol very, very quietly.
      August 31, 2021 3:38 PM MDT
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