Study shows WWI dazzle camouflage drawbacks

A recent study has cast doubt on the effectiveness of World War One dazzle ships – vessels painted in camouflage designed to confuse enemy submariners about their speed and direction. 

The concept of dazzle camouflage, often credited to the biologist Graham Kerr or the artist Norman Wilkinson, was introduced during the First World War as the British fleet contended with the threat of German U-boats. 

In their paper, ‘Dazzle camouflage: Benefits and problems revealed’, researchers from Aston University and Abertay University investigated how camouflage influenced the perceptual bias in determining a ship’s direction.