blockade runner colours

[Walter Snowdon]

I have a fancy to build another semi scale blockade runner and am looking for an unusual or different colour scheme.The majority I have seen are in various shades of grey. A long time ago I remember a reference to a pink runner ( possibly faded red lead paint). Anyone put a name to the ship or have any other sugestions as to an alternatve to grey . Regards, Walter.

[derekwarner_decoy]

Walter, this image of Iron/Wood clad US Essex, is the only one I remember to have seen with an Artists interpretation of anything but water colour grey

This is also clearly hardwood [sleeper profile sizing] cladding over cast iron plates......and near mono-tone to the above upper structures

Derek

[Walter Snowdon]

Thanks Derek. Essex was a ferry which in 1861 was converted into an IRONCLAD. At that time a shortage of iron meant that a lot of railway lines were rolled flat into iron bars and laid parallel as armour. A shortage of paint meant that the ships rusted very quickly and took on a reddish brown hue. I think that the illustration shows this rather than wood cladding which she never had! Regards, Walter

[Eddy Matthews]

I've searched high and low Walter and drawn a total blank!

All I can find are below waterline red lead, grey or black topsides (or rust), and that's about it

Regards
Eddy

[Walter Snowdon]

Thanks Eddy. Theres a fair bit on civil war warship colours , most of it based on interpretation of dubious black and white photos and therefor pure conjecture, but very little on blckade runners, almost all merchant ships so I think its down to guiswork! regards, Walter

[Bob Golder]

Hi Walter.  May I suggest that, as most of the paddle blockade runners were built on or near the Clyde, an approach to the Glasgow transport museum or the Mitchell library may yield records of the colours.

Cheers
Bob

[Walter Snowdon]

Thanks Bob, I tried there some time ago. Their only information was that as most of them were bought "under names and fictitious companies of convenience" the majority sailed in their Clyde colours and were repainted or altered at ports en route where they were picking up cargoes to cross the atlantic. Regards, Walter.

[Hankwilliams]

I have build two blockade runners, "Hope" and "Colonel Lamb" in scale 1 : 48. May be the pictures can help to answer some questions of colours and details.

Thomas