HMS President dazzle painted

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Fellow boaters. You may not have seen, but HMS President, a WW1 sloop, has been painted in a dazzle finish by a contemporary artist to align with the coming WW1 centenary.

I would like to know what you think of this finish. I know what I think…(ignore the bar signs!!)

See my album for more pictures.

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hello Ashley

It's well done and very creative and ok for a Bar Boat….It must have cost a small fortune too?

Bob

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hi Ashley

Somebody sure likes pipes

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

I'm not quite sure just what is intended here. This is certainly not 'dazzle' painting as generally understood by the term. It seems to be a mixture of floating mural and graffito. Was it done by Banksy I wonder?

Seems to have rather missed the point anyway which is a shame as these vessels did carry dazzle designs in WW1 and contemporary photos could have been used as an authentic guide.

Looks like they may have to rename it HMS Floating Entrails….

Colin

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

It is a bit of a mockery I say. There are any number of dazzle references available and even if they didnt want to simply copy one, something representative could have been achieved, and given the boat (now I think 96 years old) a distinctive period air. To be honest, as simpler design would also stand out more. In the relative gloom that was lunchtime today, the boat was tending to an all over grey look from Sea Containers house opposite the river.

It does seem to be graffiti style and although achieves one aim..breaking up the outline and features of the boat, the same thing could have been accomplished by simply throwing buckets of paint over it..

Ashley. Below, slightly simplified, but basically accurate dazzle on HMS Argus, same period.

Edited By ashley needham on 10/07/2014 22:26:32

[Dave_PParticipant @dave_p]

I saw this monstrosity while stuck in the usual traffic jamb on a recent working visit to London. I actually thought I was seeing things at first.

 

Edited By Dave_P on 13/07/2014 17:54:11

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

It is a dogs dinner, and heaven knows how much they paid someone to paint this.

There would be any number of really striking designs to catch the eye, and all authentic but no….

Ashley

[Dave_PParticipant @dave_p]

Just think if they had done the same to HMS Belfast.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

The President was painted by a German artist.

Perhaps the bar owner wanted a hip-look, man.

Would tip you over the edge coming off the ship in a marginal state and looking back,…

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Further to this snippet, the patterning has been applied by using Vynil covering like wot vans and lorries are done with. A sort of shrink wrap covering.

Nice trip away Colin ??

Ashley

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Yes thank you Ashley but a bit dizzy having just driven up from southern Belgium (Ardennes) at an average of around 70mph (excluding the watery bit).

Bet the crews back in 1914/18 wished they could just peel off the old layer when the ship needed repainting. As it was they just had to rely on the First Lieutenant/Commander to provide them with the chipping forecast!

Colin

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Now, I thought the President dazzle was bad, but my sources have pointed me in the direction of a ship of a similar age that has been dazzle painted.

If you thought the President was bad, it looks positively authentic compared to this, although it is, colour aside more like a pattern that would have been applied

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/exhibitions/dazzle-ship/

Whats annoying is on this website is a picture of the dezzled Mauretania which would have made a really striking model for both President and the Edmund Garner.

Edited By ashley needham on 06/09/2014 08:23:25

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

This is really annoying as the people concerned appear to have completely lost the plot and show no understanding of the purpose of the dazzle painting concept. It's just graffiti!

Colin

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Could it simply be that the people concerned are just playing around with the meaning of the word 'Dazzle' and producing dazzling paint schemes on subjects that are more associated with the concept of dazzle camouflage.

Modern art can be confusing sometimes.

Paul

I should add one of Ashleys disclaimers about this only being my opinion

[Dave_PParticipant @dave_p]

Well I have driven past President again this week (4 Times) and it still looks an abomination to me modern art or not.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

The whole point of the exercise is to commemorate WW1 so surely some effort should be made to reflect the intentions of dazzle painting.

I do hate it when people simply ignore history. Perhaps I am a bit more sensitive than I am usually but during last week when driving around Belgium we happened by accident upon a WW2 Commonwealth War Cemetery at a place called Hotton in the middle of the countryside. It contained over 600 burials dating to 1945, not long before the end of the war in Europe. Half were soldiers from the 'Battle of the Bulge', the remainder aircrew. Most of the dead were youngsters under the age of 25 and it was an emotional experience reading the inscriptions. Both of us had lumps in our throats and we felt impelled to read every one of the headstones in recognition of the sacrifice of those young soldiers and airmen who gave their lives so that we could live in peace.

Colin

[Dave_PParticipant @dave_p]

Well said Colin you have expressed what I partly had in mind when I described the decoration of the President as an abomination.

On a more positive note there is a beautiful display of poppies in the moat of the Tower of London. I would have liked to have taken a photo but was driving and am sure the police would not have been amused.

[Kimosubby ShipyardsParticipant @kimosubbyshipyards]

Sorry to be so late but just received this from down under, a model WW1 boat experimenting with dazzle patterns.

Enjoy. The website is very good too, and there is currently a live daily report on the voyage of their replica Bounty

around the Australian coast, now up near Newcastle.

Kimmo

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