1. What color(s) was/were used on the bottoms of Regia Marina ships and small craft?
2. Was there a period when the decks of MAS and similar small combatants were painted green? If yes, what was it called?

I've seen the S&S Regia Marina chips and have Bagnasco & Brescia's outstanding book, but neither seems to address either question. Sadly, my ability to read Italian is pathetic, and it may have been addressed in the book and I missed it.

The one full hull color profile in the book shows a green bottom with black boottop on FOLGORE, but the green color does not even come close to VERDE CHIARO or GIALLO VERDE, the only two greens depicted in both sources. I've also seen a couple color profiles of MAS that show a green deck, but again, it doesn't come close to either of the depicted greens.

Can anyone point me to a reliable source?

Al Ross

Hi Al

You gave me food for though with these questions!!
I have searched my Regia Marina books, and although I have found severall colour profiles, no colour names were given.

I have some 1/35 X MAS crafts (Caproni CB Midget Submarine and SLC 200 Maiale) built and I have used has reference some colour photos of them, in current days and aproximated with period photos (B/W) hues... On the instructions of the Caproni CB (by FF Models) says (this is a translations from the Italian by me) they say:
"Painting scheme"
In accordance with the small amount of information regarding the painting of the pocket submarines of the CB class, we can reach the conclusion that mainly two painting schemes were used.
The first scheme in use until the end of 1940 was a special iron grey with fading towards deep blue (reference Humbrol matt 27 + 30% matt 109)
The second painting scheme used to the end of the war, was essencialy two shades of grey: Light grey (reference Humbrol matt 64) for the upper parts and a satin grey for the imersed part (reference Humbrol matt 27)."

(I have not followed this completely comparing shades of the suggested colours with BW photos from Paul Kemp's Midget Submarines of World War Two) I have used a similar colour to:
Humbrol 80 - Matt Grass Green folloowed with artists oils Raw Amber treatment which gave the colour I was looking for.

From what I have seen at Museo Storico Navale - Venezia, Italia on their MTM Barchino Explosivo (Small Explosive Motorboat) the green is in between a Olive Green and Bright Green - but on the photos of the MTM walkaround they are very aproximate to what I have seen...

Books:
Warship Profile 17 RN Zara - Heavy Cruiser 1929-1941

"La Decima MAS"
By Enzo e Laurent Berrafato, Histoire & Collections
ISBN: 2-913 903 -19-3

Caproni and the Sea
Achille Rastelli
Museo Aeronautico Gianni e Timina Caproni di Toledo
ISBN: 88-87261-05-9

Sommergibili Italiani - Tomo 1
Alessandro Turrini e Otorrino Ottone Miozzi
Uficio Storico della Marina Militare

Sommergibili Italiani - Tomo 2
Alessandro Turrini e Otorrino Ottone Miozzi
Uficio Storico della Marina Militare

MTM Barchino Esplosivo Walkaround

SLC 200 Maiale Walkaround

1/35 Caproni CB Midget Submarine

l1/35 SLC 200 Maiale

Hope this helps

Skipper

Hi Al,

1) The capital ships had a red hull (my reference simply states Ref. No.8 Hull Red).
2) As for the smaller ships I'm sorry but I don't have any referance works yet.

Regia Marina, Italian Battleships of World War Two
Erminio Bagnasco and Mark Grossman
Pictorial Histories Publishing, Montana
ISBN 0-933126-75-1

Ciao
Luciano