What Color Is N.S. Sea Blue

Tools 'n' Tips Article by David Rapasi on Mar 15 2011

On January 5, 1943 the Navy issued a Specification SR-2c, for the application of the Tri-Color paint scheme.

On January 30, 1943 the Navy issued a directive on how to mix the required colors from paint in stock to help speed up this change and reduce the waste of old paint.

These are the specs by volume;

N.S. Sea Blue

6 parts Blue Gray

4 parts Insignia Blue

2 parts Black

or

4 parts Dark Blue

5 parts Insignia Blue

2 parts Black

1 part Insignia White

Semi-Gloss Sea Blue

3 parts of either N.S. Sea Blue

1 part Clear Dope or Lacquer.

Intermediate Blue

13 parts Blue Gray

24 parts Insignia White

2 parts Dark Blue

1 part Insignia Blue

1 part Insignia Red

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Now you have the new paint colors made by different paint manufacturers and all of the combinations of mixed paint from existing stocks being applied in the factories on new aircraft.

Plus you also have all of the colors that were mixed and applied to aircraft in the field.

I believe this may have created a variety of shades of N.S. Sea Blue.

The Photos;

The first three photos show examples of N.S. Sea Blue and Intermediate Blue painted with Model Master Paint on models.

Photo # 4 is the Color Hue Degree Chart.

Photos # 5 and 6 are Don's Color Chips for N.S. Sea Blue.

Photo # 7 is a Model Master Chip for N.S. Sea Blue.

Photo # 8 and 9 are Don's Color Chips for Intermediate Blue.

Photo # 10 is a Model Master Chip for Intermediate Blue.

Photos # 11 thru 16 are Don's Color Chips for the colors used to field mix N.S. Sea Blue and Intermediate Blue.

All of the color chips were measured using Adobe Photoshop 5.5 color picker to get the Hue, Saturation, and Brightness.

I mix MM 1718 FS 35042 N.S. Sea Blue and 1723 FS 36118 Gunship Gray to reduce the saturation of blue to get the paint to more closely match Don's Color Paint Chip.

David Rapasi

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Photos and text © by David Rapasi