Xenia Zubova – 17th April 2024 at 12:15pm

HMS Mersey has embarked on the final leg of her maintenance journey sporting her new Western Approaches colour scheme after spending more than five months in dry dock.

At 03:00, HMS Mersey edged her way out of dry dock at Falmouth in Cornwall, marking a significant milestone in the refurbishment process.

Currently undergoing final maintenance in partnership with BAE Systems and A&P Group, the River-class offshore patrol vessel’s journey back to operational readiness is nearing completion.

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The Western Approaches colour scheme originated during the Second World War where it provided effective camouflage by hiding a vessel among the waves, making a ships harder to spot, especially in rough seas.

In contrast, the paint job seen on the dazzle ships of the First World War was designed to cause the enemy to come up with an inaccurate firing solution as they couldn’t properly track the ship’s heading or speed.

The Western Approaches paint scheme is a nod to history and a mark of respect to the sailors who fought and died in the Battle of the Atlantic.

The colours were picked to match those of the north Atlantic and UK waters, where the units assigned to the home fleet, the Western Approaches command, operated.

It took 700 litres of paint to create HMS Mersey’s colourful exterior.

Matt Weetch, director of defence at commercial ship repair and conversion specialist A&P Group Limited, explained: “First of all, there’s a high-pressure washing for the whole vessel.

“The ship is then primed, undercoated and then painted with a full topcoat of grey.

“With regards to the Western Approaches scheme, the specialist painters do it all by hand.

“So first they’ll do a chalk line to get the pattern correct, then use masking tape to put a detailed line for the paint, then they’ll use brushes and rollers to actually paint the vessel the different colours – your normal hand rollers and paint brushes you’d paint your house with.”

While the exterior was painted, the interior of the vessel also underwent maintenance, with the crew given the chance to pick the decor for the ship’s recreation space.