2 questions regarding Russian paint schemes and IJN equipment

[Tempest555]

I just finished reading a purported diary of a Japanese torpedo boat captain (GOOGLE link below). It supposedly is an English translation of a Spanish translations of a Japanese commanders diary detailing his experience in the Russo-Japanese war. Frankly I have my doubts if this is a true diary(for one it doesn't read like a diary more like a narrative and does not seem to get in big detail about his crew or personalities. I've read diaries from historical personalities and even kept a diary at one time. Like I said I doubt it's a true diary) Anywho 2 things I just wanted to get clarified-in the narrative he mentions some Russian vessels were painted green.
Really?
Is that true?

And something else he mentions is that there is some kind of torpedo net cutting attachment that can be fitted to torpedoes (he didn't like them because they don't work usually). And they were used during the Port Arthur attack. I certainly would be interested in seeing a picture or a diagram of that cutting attachment.

Free pdf is here -I finished it in 2 days.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Ai0...page&q&f=false

_____________________________
UPDATE:

Hmm made this the attachment to cut the net-nothing labels it as such. But the picture seems to show the net being opened some how.

http://www.cyber-heritage.com/submar...veyard/net.jpg

[Bullethead]

Originally Posted by Tempest555

IAnywho 2 things I just wanted to get clarified-in the narrative he mentions some Russian vessels were painted green.
Really?
Is that true?

The Russian ships at Port Arthur had a variety of paintjobs and details are lacking on the specifics, although you can say a few things in general.

Prior to the war, the standard color for battleships and large cruisers was white, as it was for most other navies with ships in the Far East. But the war approached, the Russians applied war paint to their fleet. Most of this seems to have been mixed at Port Arthur from whatever was available and in different batches, so resulted in several different shades. Some of this paint ended up brown, some green, some greenish-brown or brownish-green.

This brown, green, or in between paint was applied overall to all the Port Arthur light craft and even a few of the smaller cruisers. With larger ships, they usually tried to approximate the European dark charcoal gray for the hull, but this often had a brownish or greenish tinge to it. 1 or 2 BBs were apparently brownish-green overall like light vessels, but most of them only had that color on their masts and funnels. 2nd Pacific Squadron, OTOH, apparently retained its European paintscheme, with the dark charcoal hulls and yellow funnels.

In the game, we had to work with limited texture space. As a result, we made 1 texture for the Port Arthur stuff and 1 for 2PacRon. Thus, all PA BBs have a dark gray hull with a brownish, greenish tinge, and the greenish brown paint on their upper works. However, the PA DDs and such are greenish brown overall.

And something else he mentions is that there is some kind of torpedo net cutting attachment that can be fitted to torpedoes (he didn't like them because they don't work usually). And they were used during the Port Arthur attack. I certainly would be interested in seeing a picture or a diagram of that cutting attachment.

Still looking, but there's an interesting article (without pictures) here:
http://www.gwpda.org/naval/nets.htm




Free pdf is here -I finished it in 2 days.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Ai0...page&q&f=false

_____________________________
UPDATE:

Hmm made this the attachment to cut the net-nothing labels it as such. But the picture seems to show the net being opened some how.

http://www.cyber-heritage.com/submar...veyard/net.jpg[/QUOTE]

[Tempest555]

Thanks Bullethead on the color scheme info-yes I saw that article and also looked through various ebooks online with regard to torpedo development. I didn't see anything either. It has to be of European manufacture. IJN i doubt was not anywhere near capable of developing something like that at that point in the late 1800 to early 1900's.
Money quote from article Bullethead linked

"But the coming of the torpedo with a net cutter fixed in its nose posed a serious threat. Net cutters to deal with the heaviest mesh were of (1) the pistol type evolved by the French, which discharged automatically upon hitting the net, and (2) a scissors type as used on Japanese torpedoes to cut the net. The former worked well enough experimentally, but did not score much success under realistic conditions. The closer mesh of the later nets apparently defeated the scissors cutter, to such an extent that both in the German and Royal Navy's heavy nets were regarded as more or less torpedo proof. Elsewhere opinion as to the utility of nets varied between nations. France discarded nets; the Russians fitted them in some ships and not in others; for a short time they were carried in the Italian Duilio and Italia classes; and the Americans ignored them never adopting this form of defence"

hmmm maybe the Japanese did have a ace up their sleeves?
Eeerie-just like Pearl Harbor (surprise attack also) only with modifications to keep a aerial torpedo from diving to deep.

[Bullethead]

Originally Posted by Tempest555

hmmm maybe the Japanese did have a ace up their sleeves?
Eeerie-just like Pearl Harbor (surprise attack also) only with modifications to keep a aerial torpedo from diving to deep.

I dunno. The article goes on to state that the only time the IJN torps really met nets, the nets won.

I also found it interesting that WW1-vintage torps, without separate cutters, had no trouble getting through nets.