Navy ships haven"t always been battleship gray with black trim, the peacetime
colors of the U.S. Navy. Prior to the late nineteenth century, all U.S. Navy
ships were painted black. In 1888 all ships were ordered to be painted white;
then in 1908 all ships were ordered painted grey. During World War I, Navy
vessels were camouflage-painted. After the war, the Navy went back to gray,
until World War II when camouflage painting was reinstated.