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HMAS Melbourne in dazzle camouflage, 1918. HMAS Melbourne was the only RAN vessel to be painted in dazzle camouflage during World War I. Image courtesy Australian War Memorial.

HMAS Melbourne in dazzle camouflage, 1918. HMAS Melbourne was the only RAN vessel to be painted in dazzle camouflage during World War I.
Image courtesy Australian War Memorial.

  • The cruiser HMAS Melbourne is on patrol in the West Indies when she observes an unidentified merchant ship off Havana, Cuba. Melbourne pursues the vessel and fires four shots before it stops. The ship proves to be a neutral Dutch vessel.

The use of camouflage for ships during wartime