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In response to the challenge of maritime operations in a highly surveilled environment, North Korea adopts an innovative camouflage tactic, painting its submarines green to blend in with the plankton-rich waters of the East Sea.
Unlike the usual black or dark gray, North Korea chose green for submarines operating in the East Sea, a region known for its rich waters in plankton, which gives them a greenish hue. This decision aims to hide the vessels from aerial surveillance, especially anti-submarine aircraft.
The Yugo and Sang-O class submarines, adapted for operations in shallow waters, stand out in this fleet. With their upper part painted green, they blend into the marine environment, making them difficult to detect. In addition to these, the Romeo class, larger and operational since Soviet times, also adopts the same camouflage strategy.
United States painted submarines light gray
This strategic choice is not unique in world military history. During the 1930s and 1940s, the United States experimented with painting submarines light gray to camouflage themselves against the hazy horizon. However, color deterioration led to the adoption of black, which offers less degradation and is effective for prolonged submerged operations.
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Despite being obsolete, North Korean submarines pose a potential threat, especially to unescorted commercial ships. Most of their fleet is forced to surf the surface to breathe, making them vulnerable but still capable in regional conflicts.
As submarine technology advances globally, North Korea uses green not just as camouflage but as a statement of its ability to adapt and persist in a complex and vigilant military landscape.
Why are the other submarines black?
Submarines are traditionally painted black or dark gray for a number of reasons relating primarily to camouflage and the durability of the paint under extreme sea conditions. Black has been shown to be effective in camouflage, especially at greater depths where light is limited, helping to hide submarines against the dark ocean floor.
Black camouflage was mainly adopted after World War II. Experiments carried out by the United States showed that dark blue, although initially more effective for camouflage, deteriorated quickly and tended to fade to a whitish tone, which became more visible. Black, on the other hand, maintains its color more consistently under the harsh conditions of the marine environment.
Additionally, the outer surface of modern submarines is often covered with a layer of anechoic rubber, which contains carbon black. This layer is designed to absorb and distort sound waves from enemy sonars, improving the submarine's acoustic stealth. Carbon black not only improves the mechanical properties of the rubber, but also contributes to the effectiveness of acoustic camouflage, and the resulting black color is ideal for such applications.
I thought it was a plane crashed in the sea... submarine full of little windows... looks like a bus
Floating scraps gave a coat of paint that was available. Since when does paint prevent camouflage with ultra-modern sonars and radars?
Interesting that “North Korea’s submarines are a threat”, as if the South’s were not.