Why Do US Navy Ships Have a Red Bottom?

We uncover the reasons why US Navy ships are painted with a red bottom. Explore the history and purpose of this unique maritime tradition, from the practical benefits of anti-fouling paint to its symbolism in naval culture. Learn about the science behind the red paint and the significance of this distinctive feature in the world of naval operations. Join us as we delve into the fascinating story of the red bottom in the US Navy.

[rocket]

Was a United States sea going sailor, 1967 to 1971. Loved the Haze Grey topside, it had a relaxing hue to it. Below, the Red Lead was the stark contrast to the grey. But it was purposeful as stated in the video.

Thanks for a great depiction of the Great Navy vessels.

rocket

[billydonaldson]

The Royal Navy in Nelson’s day had copper bottoms in order to combat marine organisms attaching themselves to the ships hulls. This gave them the advantage of speed over the French and other navies. The later Tea Clippers also used copper plated hulls, these ships were known as ‘Ocean Greyhounds.’ When steel ships were introduced they used copper based paints originally.

[PercentOS]

Interesting. Marine life was the first thing that popped into my mind before I even started watching this video.

[DrBLReid]

They were red to show you where the waterline was.

[franciscoscaramanga]

But why specifically red, and not blue green or yellow??

[Stoneham]

Did I miss the reason why the paint is colored red?

[martinmarsola]

A nice solution to the original problem! 👍🙂🇺🇸

[fozziecoyote]

Barns are traditionally red because if farmers added rust (red iron oxide) to the lindseed oil, it helped prevent moss and fungi, slowing decay.

I'm guessing that ships started using red iron oxide in their paint for the same reason.

[shipscat]

all ships regarding of type has the red boot topping, called anti-fouling to keep the hulls clean.

[edl]

You failed to point out that the new antifouling paints went back to using copper. For the most part, all antifouling paints used on ships contain copper-based biocide. What was old is new again.

[tonyjackson]

DID HE EVER SAY TRADITION AND RUST IS RED- Copper(I) oxide or cuprous oxide is the inorganic compound with the formula Cu2O. It is one of the principal oxides of copper, the other being or copper(II) oxide or cupric oxide (CuO). This red-coloured solid is a component of some antifouling paints. The compound can appear either yellow or red, depending on the size of the particles.[3] Copper(I) oxide is found as the reddish mineral cuprite.

[MaJosefaPalmitos]

That was a highly equiped dry dock compared from the fast many years.

[JacquesNjoya]

Almost 6 minutes just to say that the red paint is to prevent the growth of barnacles 🤦

[amavic]

Every ship Naval or otherwise is painted red or what we call " Red Bootopping Paint" to avoid barnacles growing in the hull.

[OpriRecords]

I thought it was RED to Attract Mermaids...🧜‍♀️

[wesmoody]

wow I thought it may have done for the help of under water sonar deflection

[thomasdatrain]

They paint the ships underside red so while it's capsizing the sailors know to run that way plus it's easier to locate the ship afterwards 💯😂🐾🐺⁉️🤯🇺🇲

[rickyparrish]

I never knew that they were painted red or just never paid attention to it need to find a way to come up with a stealth way to fool torpedoes be nice if they could

[mpejones]

Fast-forward to 3:46 minutes to get the answer.

[bobwhelk]

OMG: this guy repeated himself like 4 times - what’s his deal- was this suppose to be a joke?