New Look: Same CAVALIER
New Look: Same CAVALIER
If you have visited The Historic Dockyard Chatham this summer, you may have noticed something different about HMS CAVALIER.
The CA-Class Destroyer has been repainted in to her Second World War colours to honour her service and role as the National Destroyer Memorial.
Several international preserved Second World War warships with long histories post-war have adopted their Second World War camouflage and colours (USS KIDD, ORP BΕYSKAWICA and HMS BELFAST).
A decision was made to carry out research and colour-matching tests to reproduce the original Royal Navy lead-based paints as closely as possible with modern, non-lead-based alternatives.
What does it take to Repaint a Warship?
Over the last few months, the Shipkeeping team has set about the arduous task of preparing the ship. First, they used needle guns to remove any rust before being treated with Vactan. The second step was to spot-prime and undercoat all surfaces before applying two coats of topcoat.
Repaint By Numbers
- 3 shipkeepers
- 45 volunteers
- 1,200 man hours
- 20 tins of ‘light weatherwork grey’
- 10 tins of ‘dark admiralty grey’
- 10 tins of green anti-slip deck paint
Below is a collection of images showcasing the new paint scheme alongside the older colour.
From contemporaneous photographs and primary sources, our research volunteers have identified that from the moment CAVALIER left the J. Samuel White shipyard on the Isle of Wight, she was most likely painted in an Admiralty Standard A&B Camouflage Scheme (1944/45); a two-tone grey paint scheme.
The purpose of the scheme is to βgive concealment at dusk and dawn and at night and at long range (i.e. from shadowing aircraft) by day in sunlight and good visibilityβ¦The tones of paint used have been observed to give a good match with the sea and sky respectively in tropical conditions such as occur in the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the central Pacificβ¦and should be suitable for the same purpose on the Home and Mediterranean stations during the summer months (May-October).β
CAVALIER THROUGH THE WAR
CAVALIER was commissioned toward the end of the War, and most of her service was spent in the post-war years.
She underwent several refits, altering her superstructure appearance from how she appeared during the Second World War. However, CAVALIERβs war service history is significant and continues to attract interest.
CAVALIER gained a battle honour during the war for her service as part of the Arctic Convoys, deployed depth charges against a suspected enemy U-boat and escorted several famous Ocean Liners commissioned as troop transports.
Significantly, CAVALIER is the last surviving Second World War Destroyer built for the Royal Navy. Today, she is the National Destroyer Memorial commemorating the Destroyers and their servicemen lost during the Second World War.
About CAVALIER
HMS CAVALIER is a CA-Class Destroyer launched in 1944 and the last surviving Second World War Destroyer built for the Royal Navy. Constructed at J. Samuel White shipyard at East Cowes on the Isle of Wight. She was one of 96 War Emergency Programme Destroyers ordered during the Second World War. Since 1998, CAVALIER has been preserved as a museum ship at the Historic Dockyard Chatham.
