Paint

Download U-Boat Colours (PDF 935kb) by Dougie Martindale to find out just what colour boats were painted. This well researched and documented 49 page article covers everything!

PDFs (Portable Document Files) require Acrobat Reader 7, get it HERE.

Kriegsmarine paints have been thoroughly and accurately researched by people like Dougie Martindale and the team of Synder & Short at White Ensign Models (WEM). WEM sells custom-made Kriegsmarine enamel paint, ColourCoats. ColourCoats are highly respected for accuracy and quality (see a review at Steel Navy). They cost about US$1.85 per tinlet (14ml or 1/2 oz). This seems a standard price for comparable Humbrol paints.

Model Paints

I’ve done 20 tests per colour and have come up with Humbrol mixes that seem to work well. SEE BELOW FOR TAMIYA ACRYLIC EQUIVALENTS.

Toppings & Below waterline

Dark Charcoal

WEM KM05 (Dunkelgrau 53 or Schiffsbodenfarbe III Grau anti-fouling)

HUMBROL NAME	Black Green	RAF Blue	Black
HUMBROL #	91	96	33
Proportion/Units	1	2	1

Conning Tower & above Waterline

Light Grey

WEM KM01 (Hellgrau 50)

HUMBROL NAME	Ocean Grey	RAF Blue	White	Wine
HUMBROL #	106	96	34	73
Proportion/Units	8	2	12	.75-ish*

*This was the trickiest color. Too little “wine” and the end result is just grey; too much and it's too pink. This also accounts for the high white ratio.

also Conning Tower & above Waterline

Medium Grey

WEM KM02 (Dunkelgrau 51)

HUMBROL NAME	Ocean Grey	RAF Blue	White	Steel Grey
HUMBROL #	106	96	34	87
Proportion/Units	1	.75	1	3

Tamiya Acrylic Equivalents

These are rough equivalents thanks to Urban’s reference chart:

I have NOT tested the mixes, but these are the closest Humbrol matches and should work.

HUMBROL	TAMIYA	VALLEJO
73	XF-9	982
87	XF-25	973
91	XF-27	980
96	XF-50	964
106	XF-54	869

Decks

Thanks to Jess Montgomery for finding U-505 info.

The curator of U-505 (Chicago Museum of Science & Industry), Keith Gill, has released some very interesting info on wood u-boat decks. In his words (slightly edited to combine forum posts and emails for clarity):

“The deck was fir or pine. It was treated with Carbolineum or sometimes wood tar, they used whatever they could get. Carbolineum was a pre-1900 German product that was then licensed to German manufacturers after the Carbolineum company founders moved to the Milwaukee area in the early 1900s. The benefit is of course wood preservative, however it is also a black or deep brown color on the wood which of course helps with hiding the deck when shallow submerged.

When we recently restored the U-505 we were able to get Carbolineum from the original company to treat the pine deck, thereby returning it to its original appearance. We painted it on with rollers, the Germans likely immersed the wood and got a darker effect. It is a very deep brown almost black look. However, when exposed to the sea and air it must have lightened some as our deck was treated with two coats rolled and then it sat in the weather for almost 1 year and it did indeed lighten. If you depict a very dark brown it will be correct as new, a little lighter perhaps for at sea look but still on the very dark side. At least we have it right this time.”

“Wood Tar” - does Mr Gill mean Pine Tar? I’ve worked with pine tar as a preservative on hemp rigging, although linseed oil was used on decking and wood. The pine tar would be thick and sticky, and I think a lousy solution. ? ? ?

There is a thread at uboat.net, and some product info at www.carbolineum.com, the company that makes Carbolineum.

The product info says it’s a new formula now, but that seems to be more about using less harmful ingredients than any color change.

U-505 deck as of Dec 2005 (2 light coats, 1 yr weathered)

Photo courtesy Keith Gill, curator U-505

Note neutral gray camera bag for refrence

Color deck - from web, found by Larry Hunt

Color deck - U-128

My own Conclusions

Based on some pix showing a charcoal painted deck, and some showing treated or “stained” wood, I would say personally that it’s a case of some boats were painted with anti-foul paint (gray), others coated with carbolineum, and that fading and salt and wear made them all look less than perfect.