Did you happen to notice that most of the ships’ hull always colored red?
It is not easy to spot, since the red part of these ships are always below the water.
Anyway, what is the reason behind this? And what is actually the function of the paint?
Hello everyone, welcome back to Military TV.
In today’s episode, we are going to discuss the reason why most of the ships’ lower
part painted red. If you eager to learn more, don’t go anywhere and stay tuned.
Centuries ago, early sailing ships were made from wooden. Since wood
is an organic material, it had a porous structure.
Combined with its slow speed and rough hull, it proved to be an
ideal breeding space for underwater marine life—seaweeds, worms, barnacles, and algae.
Because of this condition, the ship needed some kind of protection to prevent barnacles
and wood-eating worms eat away the ship’s lower part which sits under the waterline.
Copper oxide paint, which operated as a biocide, provided this protection. The crimson tint came
from the copper in the paint, resulting the color red covering the overall hull of the
ship. The copper paint which is also known as anti-fouling paint has the ability to minimize
the amounts of subaquatic organisms that cling onto a ship's hull, hence the ship can better
retain its structural integrity and avoid being bogged down by ocean crap like seaweed.
Through creating a protective layer, ships would not be weight down by critters and
plants attaching themselves to the ship's bottom.
This was critical since anything attached to the ship's hull may increase drag and cause
the ship to slow down, requiring more fuel. When iron and steel were introduced to the
maritime business, everything changed. Wooden hulls are now a thing of the past,
with iron ships serving as the backbone of the global supply network.
Nonetheless, the issue of marine life causing drag continues to exist.
Anti-fouling paint thus became a very important matter for the marine industry,
as corporations are increasingly focusing on cost-effectiveness in order to maximize profits.
Nowadays, biocides or ship-protecting additives can be mixed to any color of paint.
This leads to some ships’ hull having colors other than red. However, to honor and maintain
the nautical tradition, the red color is still prioritized for the bottom part of most ships.
Another main function of red is to serve as a background to measure the load of the ships.
Because as the ship loads more weights, its body will be gradually pressed,
making the part which is demarcated with red paint sits under the water.
So numerical measurement written on the red background can help the seafarer to
know how many of the ship’s body has gone under the water surface.
Regardless of the anti-fouling paints covering the lower part of the ships,
they can never completely stop the growth of marine organisms dwelling on the hull.
Oftentimes, ships docked at the port or shipyard aren’t allowed to scrap
the muck found on the hull. Since the ship has sailed from faraway waters,
it can bring non-native organisms that can harm the local ecosystem.
That’s all for today. No more wondering why the ship’s hull painted in red.
Thank you for watching and see you on the next video!