During World War I, dazzle camouflage became a unique strategy to protect ships from enemy submarines.
Ships were painted with bold, geometric patterns and contrasting colors, designed to confuse enemy submariners trying to target them.
This unusual paint job, known as dazzle camouflage, aimed to make it harder for attackers to calculate a ship’s speed and direction.
However, new research by scientists from Aston University and Abertay University suggests that dazzle camouflage may not have been as effective as originally believed.
Their study, published in Royal Society Open Science, explores the strengths and limitations of this eye-catching technique.
What is dazzle camouflage?
Dazzle camouflage was developed during World War I to counter the threat of German U-boats, which were sinking ships at an alarming rate. Unlike traditional camouflage, which tries to hide objects, dazzle used bold patterns to confuse enemy perception.
The idea has been credited to biologist Graham Kerr and artist Norman Wilkinson, who applied their knowledge of optics and visual perception to military needs. Although experiments were conducted during the war, there was little data to prove how well dazzle camouflage worked.
To better understand the effects of dazzle camouflage, researchers created a computer model of the RMS Mauretania, a British troop ship during World War I. They applied various dazzle designs to the virtual ship and showed these images to 16 participants. The participants were asked to guess the ship’s direction.
The results showed that certain patterns, especially those with texture gradients, could distort perceptions of direction, which might have made it harder for enemy submariners to aim torpedoes. But the researchers also found a significant downside: a phenomenon they called the “horizon effect” or “hysteresis effect.”
This effect caused people to perceive the ship’s direction as being more parallel to the horizon, regardless of its actual movement. In some cases, the horizon effect canceled out the benefits of the dazzle camouflage, and in other cases, it even helped the attackers by reducing the distortion.
Did dazzle work in World War I?
Professor Tim Meese from Aston University summed up the findings: “Did dazzle camo work? Yes, to some extent. But the benefits may not have been as significant as the Allied navies hoped.”
Dr. George Lovell from Abertay University added that dazzle was more effective for fast-moving, distant ships. Their experiments also showed that people with more maritime experience were less influenced by the patterns, suggesting that enemy submarine captains might not have been as easily fooled.
Dazzle in the modern era
Interestingly, dazzle camouflage may not be a thing of the past. In 2024, Ukraine’s navy painted some of its vessels with dazzle-like patterns, sparking renewed interest in its effectiveness. While the exact purpose of this modern dazzle is unclear, it might be aimed at confusing drones or other AI-based targeting systems.
Dr. Lovell noted, “If dazzle fooled human vision in 1918, it could still work today—if humans are involved in targeting. However, if drones use AI trained on natural scenes, the patterns might also trick the technology through forced-perspective illusions.”
The study focused on how dazzle affects the perception of direction, but the camouflage may have had other benefits, such as creating uncertainty about a ship’s distance, speed, and size. All these factors play a role in accurate targeting, and future research may shed more light on these aspects.
Although dazzle camouflage may not have been the game-changer it was once thought to be, it remains a fascinating example of how creativity and science were used in wartime—and how those lessons could still be relevant today.
