During the Second World War navies developed low visibility camouflage for their ships, on both vertical and horizontal surfaces, in order reduce visibility by blending in with the sea, or confuse the identity of a ship by applying more obtrusive patters. In this the second volume by maritime artist Mal Wright, both the official and unofficial paint schemes that adorned the cruisers of the Royal Navy and Commonwealth are depicted in detail, along with discussions on changes of armament and electronics that effected the outward appearance of each ship.
Beginning with the older cruisers, the book goes on to cover all the other cruiser classes, taking in heavy cruisers, prewar and wartime cruisers; the author then covers minelayers. Where possible both sides of the ship are depicted, and there are multiple images of the ships where armament or equipment changes had a fundamental impact on a ships appearance. Overhead views are also included. With 800 full color illustrations, arranged by ship type rather than camouflage scheme, this book concentrates the clearest possible information into a single volume to provide a one-stop reference source.
Many schemes would be difficult for the reader to have found other than with the most intensive research so that historians, collectors, model makers and wargamers will find this unique reference source absolutely invaluable.