that white hull stripe on USN sailing ships

Billy1977

Sergeant
Joined
Mar 18, 2016
Location
Flippin, Arkansas (near Yellville)
Hello everybody, here's a question that's been bugging me for some time now. Anyone who has seen U.S. Navy sailing ships has seen that they tend to have a white stripe going down the length of the hull, even with the gunports. Like this:
Civil War; Union,Navy.combatants- sloop.'Plymouth'......png Civil War; Union,Navy.combatants- sloop.'Lancaster'..jpg Civil War; Union,Navy.combatants- frigate.'Colorado'....jpg


Does anyone know what the purpose of that white stripe is? Is there a reason it seems to be even with the gun deck and ships with multiple gun decks (like ships of the line and the heavier frigates) have a separate stripe for each gun deck? I was thinking maybe it somehow deflects sunlight away from the gunners' eyes, like the "eye black" that football players put under their eyes? It makes the ships look even prettier (I think) than they would otherwise but someone please tell me it's not just for looks.
 
It is not decoration. It is actually early naval camouflage. The white stripe breaks up the dark hull so that, at night, it looks like light on the water. Most warships of the time had it. During the ACW, the cruisers and blockade runners were painted either black and white or mist gray. That is much harder to see at night. Even today, mist gray is used for ships.
 
It's called the Nelson Chequer, and originally the stripe was yellow.
Nelson's original purpose (easier identification) is explained below, and the color scheme is generally agreed to be an homage by the Royal Navy to their greatest Admiral.
Note that Nelson's popularity accomplished what various Admiralty orders failed to do: Effect a standard in ship painting.
As it was the premier navy of the day, the RN style was adopted by other navies, including the US Navy.


Sea Life in Nelson's Time, John Masefield (1905), p.14:

Till Nelson's time there was no uniformity in the painting of the exteriors of the ships. The captains used their own discretion, and followed their own tastes, in the selection and application of the colours. The most general colour-scheme was as follows:—Along the water-line, just above the ruddy gleam of the coppersheathing, was a wide black streak, running right round the ship, and reaching as high as the level of the lower gun-deck. Above this the sides were yellow, of a yellow sometimes inclining to brown, like the colour of certain varnishes, and sometimes of a brighter tint, like the colour of lemon peel. The after upper-works above the gun-decks, and the outer sides of the poops above the quarter-deck guns, were painted a vivid red or blue. This band of bright colour gradually faded, till by the time of Trafalgar it had become a very deep and dull blue, of a dingy tint that was very nearly black. A band of scarlet or pale blue, edged with gold, ran round the forecastle, and continued down the beak to the figurehead. The outsides of the port-lids were of the same colour as the sides—that is, of a brownish yellow. The stern-works were generally elaborate with gilded carving, gilt cherubs, and the like, and with red, blue, green and gold devices, such as cornucopias, drums and banners, royal arms, wreaths, etc. Round the stern of each ship, outside the glazed cabin windows (we are talking of a third-rate or 74-gun ship), ran a quarter gallery or stern walk, on which the captain could take his pleasure. The supports and rails of this walk were heavy with gold-leaf. First and second-rate ships had three and two stern walks respectively. At the bows, at the extremity of the great beakhead, was the ship's figurehead, either a ramping red lion or a plain white bust, or a shield, or some allegorical figure suggested by the name of the ship. The allegorical figure was, perhaps, the most popular among the sailors. They took great pride in keeping it in good repair, with bright gilt on its spear or helmet, red paint upon its cheeks, and pretty blue sashes wherever such appeared necessary.
The ships of Lord Howe's fleet, in 1794, appear to have been painted (externally) as follows:—The side of the ships above the line of the copper a dull brown tint; the tiers of ports a pale lemon yellow, chequered by the port-lids, the outsides of which were brown, like the sides of the ship. The gilded scrollwork, at bow and stern, was as usual. Lord Nelson is said to have painted the ships of his fleets after much the same pattern, only substituting black for the dull brown of the sides and outer port-lids. The arrangement used by him became popular. It was known as the "Nelson chequer": black sides and port-lids, and yellow streaks to mark each deck of guns. It was at first used only by those ships which had fought at Trafalgar or the Nile. In time it became the system adopted throughout the Navy. The captains of some ships preferred their own colour-schemes, and painted their vessels with red or orange streaks to mark the gun tiers. The "Nelson chequer" was, however, to become the colour arrangement generally employed. Some years after Trafalgar the lemon-yellow ribands gave place to white, which continued in use till wooden men-ofwar became obsolete. Those which remain afloat are painted black and white in the manner in use in the early sixties, when such ships ceased to be built.
Internally, the sides of the ships were painted bloodred, in order that the blood, which so often and so liberally spattered them, might not appear. The inner sides of the port-lids were painted of this colour, so that when the port-lids were opened, the brown or black of the ship's sides was diversified agreeably with scarlet squares. After Trafalgar the interiors of the ships of war were sometimes painted in other colours, according to the whims of their commanders. Green was the most common variant, but the interior of some ships was painted yellow or brown. A favourite arrangement was the white and green—white for the ship's sides and beams, and green for the waterways and coamings. White became the rule about the year 1840.
 
Now that is interesting as I had never heard of it before. I had seen the stripe in pictures and was sure that it had a purpose, but I did not know what it was for until now. Thank you for posting it. it is always a good day when you learn something new.
 
I won't expand on the British side of the history above, but in the American Navy you usually saw yellow in the war years, along with white and red stripes. After the war, both the USN and RN settled on the white stripe for economy. The stripe evolved over the years. Early on the stripe wrapped around the bow behind the head, but by the Civil War, the head detail was left unpainted and the stripe went all the way around. This remained in use until the 1880s, when a new scheme finally eliminated the stripe, replacing it with a narrow white strip on the divide between the hull copper and the black sides, and another up at the moldings along the highest deck.

USS Constitution in a modern interpretation of the old stripes.
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/05/38/d3/...d4908374e--uss-constitution-sailing-ships.jpg

USS Constitution with the Civil War-era stripe in 1858.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...g/800px-USS_Constitution_ready_for_launch.jpg

USS Constellation (ii) sloop with the Civil War-era stripe.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a2/90/47/a29047a1b62cbdf124745c0f1a09f383.jpg

USS Constellation (ii) sloop with the 1880s+ new scheme.
https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/images/clip-1.JPG
 
It's called the Nelson Chequer, and originally the stripe was yellow.
Nelson's original purpose (easier identification) is explained below, and the color scheme is generally agreed to be an homage by the Royal Navy to their greatest Admiral.
Note that Nelson's popularity accomplished what various Admiralty orders failed to do: Effect a standard in ship painting.
As it was the premier navy of the day, the RN style was adopted by other navies, including the US Navy.


Sea Life in Nelson's Time, John Masefield (1905), p.14:

Till Nelson's time there was no uniformity in the painting of the exteriors of the ships. The captains used their own discretion, and followed their own tastes, in the selection and application of the colours. The most general colour-scheme was as follows:—Along the water-line, just above the ruddy gleam of the coppersheathing, was a wide black streak, running right round the ship, and reaching as high as the level of the lower gun-deck. Above this the sides were yellow, of a yellow sometimes inclining to brown, like the colour of certain varnishes, and sometimes of a brighter tint, like the colour of lemon peel. The after upper-works above the gun-decks, and the outer sides of the poops above the quarter-deck guns, were painted a vivid red or blue. This band of bright colour gradually faded, till by the time of Trafalgar it had become a very deep and dull blue, of a dingy tint that was very nearly black. A band of scarlet or pale blue, edged with gold, ran round the forecastle, and continued down the beak to the figurehead. The outsides of the port-lids were of the same colour as the sides—that is, of a brownish yellow. The stern-works were generally elaborate with gilded carving, gilt cherubs, and the like, and with red, blue, green and gold devices, such as cornucopias, drums and banners, royal arms, wreaths, etc. Round the stern of each ship, outside the glazed cabin windows (we are talking of a third-rate or 74-gun ship), ran a quarter gallery or stern walk, on which the captain could take his pleasure. The supports and rails of this walk were heavy with gold-leaf. First and second-rate ships had three and two stern walks respectively. At the bows, at the extremity of the great beakhead, was the ship's figurehead, either a ramping red lion or a plain white bust, or a shield, or some allegorical figure suggested by the name of the ship. The allegorical figure was, perhaps, the most popular among the sailors. They took great pride in keeping it in good repair, with bright gilt on its spear or helmet, red paint upon its cheeks, and pretty blue sashes wherever such appeared necessary.
The ships of Lord Howe's fleet, in 1794, appear to have been painted (externally) as follows:—The side of the ships above the line of the copper a dull brown tint; the tiers of ports a pale lemon yellow, chequered by the port-lids, the outsides of which were brown, like the sides of the ship. The gilded scrollwork, at bow and stern, was as usual. Lord Nelson is said to have painted the ships of his fleets after much the same pattern, only substituting black for the dull brown of the sides and outer port-lids. The arrangement used by him became popular. It was known as the "Nelson chequer": black sides and port-lids, and yellow streaks to mark each deck of guns. It was at first used only by those ships which had fought at Trafalgar or the Nile. In time it became the system adopted throughout the Navy. The captains of some ships preferred their own colour-schemes, and painted their vessels with red or orange streaks to mark the gun tiers. The "Nelson chequer" was, however, to become the colour arrangement generally employed. Some years after Trafalgar the lemon-yellow ribands gave place to white, which continued in use till wooden men-ofwar became obsolete. Those which remain afloat are painted black and white in the manner in use in the early sixties, when such ships ceased to be built.
Internally, the sides of the ships were painted bloodred, in order that the blood, which so often and so liberally spattered them, might not appear. The inner sides of the port-lids were painted of this colour, so that when the port-lids were opened, the brown or black of the ship's sides was diversified agreeably with scarlet squares. After Trafalgar the interiors of the ships of war were sometimes painted in other colours, according to the whims of their commanders. Green was the most common variant, but the interior of some ships was painted yellow or brown. A favourite arrangement was the white and green—white for the ship's sides and beams, and green for the waterways and coamings. White became the rule about the year 1840.

Thanks @FenianPirate, I always thought the white paint was an American version of the Nelson Chequer .
 
It's called the Nelson Chequer, and originally the stripe was yellow.
Nelson's original purpose (easier identification) is explained below, and the color scheme is generally agreed to be an homage by the Royal Navy to their greatest Admiral.
Note that Nelson's popularity accomplished what various Admiralty orders failed to do: Effect a standard in ship painting.
As it was the premier navy of the day, the RN style was adopted by other navies, including the US Navy.


Sea Life in Nelson's Time, John Masefield (1905), p.14:

Till Nelson's time there was no uniformity in the painting of the exteriors of the ships. The captains used their own discretion, and followed their own tastes, in the selection and application of the colours. The most general colour-scheme was as follows:—Along the water-line, just above the ruddy gleam of the coppersheathing, was a wide black streak, running right round the ship, and reaching as high as the level of the lower gun-deck. Above this the sides were yellow, of a yellow sometimes inclining to brown, like the colour of certain varnishes, and sometimes of a brighter tint, like the colour of lemon peel. The after upper-works above the gun-decks, and the outer sides of the poops above the quarter-deck guns, were painted a vivid red or blue. This band of bright colour gradually faded, till by the time of Trafalgar it had become a very deep and dull blue, of a dingy tint that was very nearly black. A band of scarlet or pale blue, edged with gold, ran round the forecastle, and continued down the beak to the figurehead. The outsides of the port-lids were of the same colour as the sides—that is, of a brownish yellow. The stern-works were generally elaborate with gilded carving, gilt cherubs, and the like, and with red, blue, green and gold devices, such as cornucopias, drums and banners, royal arms, wreaths, etc. Round the stern of each ship, outside the glazed cabin windows (we are talking of a third-rate or 74-gun ship), ran a quarter gallery or stern walk, on which the captain could take his pleasure. The supports and rails of this walk were heavy with gold-leaf. First and second-rate ships had three and two stern walks respectively. At the bows, at the extremity of the great beakhead, was the ship's figurehead, either a ramping red lion or a plain white bust, or a shield, or some allegorical figure suggested by the name of the ship. The allegorical figure was, perhaps, the most popular among the sailors. They took great pride in keeping it in good repair, with bright gilt on its spear or helmet, red paint upon its cheeks, and pretty blue sashes wherever such appeared necessary.
The ships of Lord Howe's fleet, in 1794, appear to have been painted (externally) as follows:—The side of the ships above the line of the copper a dull brown tint; the tiers of ports a pale lemon yellow, chequered by the port-lids, the outsides of which were brown, like the sides of the ship. The gilded scrollwork, at bow and stern, was as usual. Lord Nelson is said to have painted the ships of his fleets after much the same pattern, only substituting black for the dull brown of the sides and outer port-lids. The arrangement used by him became popular. It was known as the "Nelson chequer": black sides and port-lids, and yellow streaks to mark each deck of guns. It was at first used only by those ships which had fought at Trafalgar or the Nile. In time it became the system adopted throughout the Navy. The captains of some ships preferred their own colour-schemes, and painted their vessels with red or orange streaks to mark the gun tiers. The "Nelson chequer" was, however, to become the colour arrangement generally employed. Some years after Trafalgar the lemon-yellow ribands gave place to white, which continued in use till wooden men-ofwar became obsolete. Those which remain afloat are painted black and white in the manner in use in the early sixties, when such ships ceased to be built.
Internally, the sides of the ships were painted bloodred, in order that the blood, which so often and so liberally spattered them, might not appear. The inner sides of the port-lids were painted of this colour, so that when the port-lids were opened, the brown or black of the ship's sides was diversified agreeably with scarlet squares. After Trafalgar the interiors of the ships of war were sometimes painted in other colours, according to the whims of their commanders. Green was the most common variant, but the interior of some ships was painted yellow or brown. A favourite arrangement was the white and green—white for the ship's sides and beams, and green for the waterways and coamings. White became the rule about the year 1840.

I love this site. I learn something new every day.
 
A major factor in the ships appearance, at least until Nelson, was how rich or mean or uncaring a captain was. Usually this extended to the crews dress as well, some dressed their crew well, others made sure the purser bought the cheapest materiel for the men to make their own clothes (Shoddy). Others couldn't even do that and their crew wore the clothes they came on board in until they fell apart.

Of the ironclads, three - Black Prince, Defence and Resistance were initially painted with the Nelson Chequer, but it was felt it didn't suit and soon painted out.
,
 
A major factor in the ships appearance, at least until Nelson, was how rich or mean or uncaring a captain was. Usually this extended to the crews dress as well, some dressed their crew well, others made sure the purser bought the cheapest materiel for the men to make their own clothes (Shoddy). Others couldn't even do that and their crew wore the clothes they came on board in until they fell apart.

Of the ironclads, three - Black Prince, Defence and Resistance were initially painted with the Nelson Chequer, but it was felt it didn't suit and soon painted out.
,

Yep, and when the RN stopped forcing Captains to pay for their own decoration and use navy funds for it instead...suddenly the economical white stripe and fewer/blacked-out moldings became regulation. It's still so weird to see HMS Victory in the post-war black and white scheme like seen in this photograph (also note the built-up Victorian-era bulwarks and poop deck).
da6e15ee447f90c577ce64a53a9dc609.jpg
 
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