from
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2023/06/russian-navy-attempts-to-disguise-its-most-powerful-warship-in-black-sea/

It is probably worth going to the cite to view the pictures.

Russian Navy warship
Click to enlarge. The Admiral Grigorovich Class frigate, believed to be
Admiral Essen (751), has a new paint scheme which disguises its outline.

Russian Navy Attempts To Disguise Its Most Powerful Warship In Black Sea
The Russian Navy is applying a radical new approach to protecting its
most valuable warships from Ukrainian attacks. A deceptive camouflage
scheme has been applied to the frigate Admiral Essen. This tries to
confuse Ukrainian drone operators into mistaking their target. How well
it will work is open to question.
H I Sutton 22 Jun 2023

One of the Russian Navy’s two Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates in the
Black Sea has received a radical new paint scheme. Satellite images
confirm that the bow and stern have been painted out. The dark paint
applied over the uniform gray scheme is intended to deceive the onlooker.

The attempt at deceptive camouflage is likely a response to the
Ukrainian Navy’s maritime drone threat. These use cameras to identify
the target. Possibly the scheme is intended to confuse the drone
operators into mistaking it for a less valuable target.

The satellite images, from Planet, were shared online by Ukraine war
observer MT Anderson. Since the initial clear images in Sevastopol on
June 19, the same ship has appeared in Novorossiysk on June 21. Together
with other sources seen by Naval News, this confirms that the dark
markings are a new paint scheme and not just a trick of light. Naval
News is confident that the bow and stern of the ship have been painted out.

Although not seen in decades, this trick will be quickly appreciated by
naval historians. During World War Two the Kriegsmarine applied a
similar camouflage to the battleship K.M.S. Bismarck. This combined
elements of both a deceptive and disruptive camouflage. The deceptive
part, which is relevant here, was a false bow and stern painted in a
dark color. There was even a fake bow wave and wake to match the
apparent shortening of the hull. This was an attempt to confuse the
observer to the size, and therefore the identity, of the ship.

Battleship Bismarck
The German battleship Bismarck had similar false bow and stern painted
on it during World War Two. Note the false bow wave and wake painted
next to the darkened ends of the ship.
The Threat of Ukrainian Drones
The Project 11356P Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates play a significant
role in Russia’s attacks on Ukraine. They can each carry 8 Kalibr land
attack cruise missiles. These are generally equivalent to the American
Tomahawk and are frequently launched at targets deep in Ukraine. They
are also the most capable warships in Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and act
as flagships since the cruiser Moskva was sunk in April last year. The
ships are thus seen as the ultimate prize for a follow-up to the Moskva
sinking.

Despite ever increasing defenses, Ukraine’s maritime drones (USV) have
repeatedly penetrated Sevastopol Harbor. These small boats are armed
with a sizable warhead and pose a real threat, although it has yet to be
translated into significant damage.

During these attacks a human operator uses the camera to discern
targets. Any trick therefore, which inhibits their ability to identify
the most valuable target, would be seen as worth it to the Russians.

Russian Navy Adapting to the New Realities of War
It is not the first ‘old fashioned’ camouflage which Russia has tried
since the start of the 2022 invasion. In March last year just weeks
after the start, the Russian Navy started painting over the hull numbers
on ships in the Black Sea. This may have appeared outdated to some
observers, but was a sensible precaution which makes it more difficult
to identify individual ships.

All the same, clues in the satellite image suggest that the Admiral
Grigorovich-class frigate with the new scheme is Admiral Essen. This
ship has a lighter colored dome over its Pozitiv-M radar. Her sister
ship also based in Sevastopol, Admiral Makarov‘s radome is the same gray
as the rest of the ship.

Whether the new camouflaged will be effective is open to debate. From a
Russian Navy perspective, it may be seen as better than nothing.
Possibly other old-fashioned camouflage schemes, such as dazzle, will
see a comeback for as long as visual targeting is used by the drones.
What is clear however is that, despite no losses so far, the Russian
Navy still takes the maritime drone threat seriously.

TAGS Black Sea Russian Navy
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AUTHORS

Posted by : H I Sutton
H I Sutton writes about the secretive and under-reported submarines,
seeking out unusual and interesting vessels and technologies involved in
fighting beneath the waves. Submarines, capabilities, naval special
forces underwater vehicles and the changing world of underwater warfare
and seabed warfare. To do this he combines the latest Open Source
Intelligence (OSINT) with the traditional art and science of defense
analysis. He occasionally writes non-fiction books on these topics and
draws analysis-based illustrations to bring the subject to life. In
addition, H I Sutton is a naval history buff and data geek. His personal
website about these topics is Covert Shores (www.hisutton.com)

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