US Navy Engineroom Paint Color

[Mako]

Any ex-Navy guys out there that know the paint color number for the engine room paints used back in the 70's? These were mostly smaller boats and landing craft that I remember.

It wasn't white, nor grey, nor USCG spar #24. It was sorta halfway between beige and grey. Very pretty color.

 

[Ski in NC]

Submarines used grey.

 

[Northern Spy]

Gull grey?

Lots of mint green on subs too.

 

[Crusty Chief]

20 years and I don't recall any part of a Navy ship "pretty"! But as I recall the engine rooms and most machinery spaces were eggshell or off white. The lighter colors reflected light and highlighted problem areas. They also were a PITA to clean for zone inspections.
Also, depending on how long the ship had not been in the "yards" you might see every shade of color in those spaces. Mixing of different lot numbers happened all the time, just to spruce up a space.

 

[kapnd]

Crusty, I can relate to the "custom color mismatch" seen not only onboard, but all over the bases too!
Seems incredible that something as basic as sand beige or desert white could not be standardized in the USN!
I agree that engine rooms should be the brightest, glossiest of whites.

 

[dhmeissner]

Is this it?

 

[HiDHo]

We used all types of white paint and mixed in Prussian blue because the heat would tend to yellow the white. The worst was rubberized paint that came out of the spray gun and formed floating cobwebs of paint. Back then we wore bandana's over our nose and mouth but would get dizzy from the fumes. EPA would have nightmares over what when on with the paints and primers we used. The only grey was machinery grey on the throttle board, reduction gears, anything that was lagged with you know it asbestos !! Was painted white along with the overhead and bulkheads.

 

[fryedaze]

Hard to tell what the color was. It all looked yellow from the tar and nicotine. They don't have that problem anymore.

 

[sbu22]

My recall is that engineering spaces (submarine) were painted light green as Spy stated. The old fleet boats were simply a mass of medium grey, except (particularly in torpedo rooms) for a fairly dark (a little lighter than British racing green) green used for equipments. The way equipment was packed into those spaces gave not many sight lines to the actual bulkhead or overhead. Equipment enclosures tended to be a medium grey. Watertight doors were the same grey.

 

[johnma]

I spent 6 years in various engine rooms. Look at post #6 and that's pretty much it. At least it was from 68 to 74

 

[Mako]

Is this it?

Wow Dave, that's a nice engine room in your Roughwater! Must be the careful placement of mirrors that makes the space look so big

Of all the descriptions I would say that it was some sorta eggshell white-ish color. On my present boat I want to stay away from pure white and grey is too industrial.

 

[MRRiley]

Pretty sure the greys came in 1 of 4 shades, Haze, Deck, Machinery, and Dove.

If you want to get fancy in the machinery spaces on board you can use these links for the whole enchilada!

Systems