Navy Blue

‘THERE is intelligence and, then again, there is military intelligence. And shining a bright light into the ears of our uniformed supremos is the Sun.

Before we go on, we ask you to consider this. And note that giving a correct answer may well enable you to be fast-tracked to the upper echelons of the Royal Navy.

Our question runs: If you do not want your submarine (an underwater boat) to be seen, what colour would you paint it. Please note that the sea is blue.

Red would indeed present a clear warning that you are ballsy and up for a fight. Pink is modern and inclusive. And stripes can be slimming.

Those are worthy answers. But the correct reply, as the Sun says, is blue. The paper writes that Navy “boffins” have conducted “exhaustive trials” and “lab tests” and have concluded that the best way not to be seen in the sea is to paint your vessel blue.

As Lieutenant Commander Steve White tells the paper: “This should make subs twice as hard to spot.”

And about three times as likely to be harpooned by a passing Japanese whaler…’

Posted: 20th, March 2006 | In: Tabloids Comment | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink