Mast, tops and bowsprit color

[Dr PR]

I have searched through the forum for information about the color or finish on masts, mast tops and bowsprits and there are only a few posts. I thought I would create a separate topic. I am building a model of an early 1800s American Revenue Service schooner, but I am interested in painting practices on other ship types, eras and nationalities as well.

 

I have found no historical records of the colors or finishes on revenue cutter masts. Rather, in early American vessels, including the early US Navy, there seems to be no standard color scheme. Many ship owners and captains followed British practice, but others didn't. Sometime after about 1830 it seems the US Navy did adopt a standard color scheme.

 

Were masts and bowsprits painted or just left the natural wood color? I have seen both on modern models. I have read that some vessels had "natural wood color" masts, but the masts were greased where the mast hoops moved, and were darker as a result in these parts. If painted, what colors were common? Was the entire mast painted or only parts of it? How did this vary over time?

 

What color was common for the tops (doubling and crosstrees)? I have seen black on some models and white on others. What periods were these colors common?

 

Another interesting discussion was about the color of mast hoops. I read that the hoops were a different color from the masts in the British (and other) navy up to Trafalgar. Then Nelson ordered that the mast hoops be repainted to the same color as the masts so the British ships could be distinguished easily from the opposing ships. Unfortunately, the posts discussion this didn't say what the colors were for the masts and hoops before Trafalgar!

 

All comments and discussion are welcome!

[Oldsalt1950]

I think it is pretty much a crap shoot when it comes to most of the "supposed" standard colors. Navies pretty much standardized their colors because they were paying the freight. Buying in bulk was cheaper. There were however exceptions. HMS Victory had a number of different paint schemes throughout her career. Gun deck bulwarks were not all red, there were also green (USS Constitution), grey, and brown. Was the ship a privateer/ There you could find a myriad of colors depending on the owners and captain's whim. A lot also depended on where the ship was built, at least in the U.S., and what was available locally. The grease used on masts was tallow, an animal fat so it picked up contaminants easily and stained the masts and wore into the wood fairly well. Some things got painted some didn't depending on budget and aesthetics. Standard paint schemes became a Navy thing as navies got larger, but even then, there were exceptions. Unless you are dealing with a particular well documented ship, which you aren't with Albatros, you pretty much have free reign for painting or not painting and color choice.

[mtaylor]

I suspect that what Oldsalt said applies.  I do question though... did the Americans follow British practice and carry pigments and linseed oil for repaints at sea or actual mixed paint?  The Brits did have more Captain's choice in the navy for color it seems as they did carry the oil and pigments and mixed as they needed.

[mikiek]

Another consideration, that applies to any build - where was it built? - What were the circumstances? - When was it built?

 

The answer to these questions should have a major impact on your painting decisions.

 

Many colors that we might consider totally available today were not available in some time periods. Reds & blues in particular. The 'blood red' that are called for in many builds was probably closer to a 'barn door red' as true red was extremely expensive.

 

 

[wefalck]

Pre-confectioned paint did not come onto the market until about 1860 and then it was originally mainly anti-fouling paints. For everything else, the components, that is pigment, medium (mainly lineseed oil), and thinners where supplied separately. Paints were mixed adhoc according to either prescribed recipies or whatever the bo'sun saw fit.

 

RN ships were supplied with an annual dotation of material and were expected to make due with them. If the captain was prepared to pay for the materials, there was a certain leeway for colour-schemes.

 

On the merchant ships the colour-schemes were pretty much determined by the local fashion of the period. Overall, it appears that around the middle of the 18th century ship became more colourful, with wales painted in different colours, coloured bulwarks inside, coloured spars and or spar-tips while masts and parts that may have seen chafing were only oiled. After the middle of the 19th century paint-schemes became more sombre, with black and white dominating. It seems that black hulls became more prevalent due to the increasing contamination of harbour waters by oil and soot from steam-ships.

 

Around European waters in the first half of the 19th century, it seems to have been common to have had inside bulwarks, deckhouses, spars or their tips and doublings painted in either pale green, pale blue or light ochre to match. Painted or scraped wales seem to replaced by all-black hulls from the later 1840s on, but these were retained by certain local ship-types much longer.

[Dr PR]

Even in the modern US Navy some color schemes were the prerogative of the Captain, or even the bosun's mates. For example, on some ships the capstans, catheads or chain pipes were painted red on the port side and green on the starboard. On other ships they might be deck grey. Awnings might be grey or white, etc.

 

On the OK City Captain Howell ran a no nonsense warship grey ship. We got a new Executive Officer who wanted  to replace the grey canvas with white, with lots of frills and McNanara's lace, and paint all the plumbing a rainbow of colors. "Rodney," Captain Howell replied, "you want to turn my ship into a circus boat!"

 

White awnings in particular were a bad idea on an oil or coal burning ship, especially if it spends time in harbor with other ships. They "blow stacks" during the mid watches to clear soot out of the smoke pipes, and the soot settles on everything. White canvas has to be scrubbed every morning by the deck crews.

Edited June 2, 2022 by Dr PR