We all remember the Great Spanish Galleons decorated in gold trim as they glided majestically across the movie screen. The opulent appearance represented the great riches they carried from the new world back to Spain and a tempting prize for English & French privateers and pirates seeking the one great plunder opportunity that would make them comfortable for the rest of their life.

The ships of the rest of the world were painted quite differently. Ships of the new world tended to be painted with colors locally available. Earth pigment paints such as brick red made from iron oxide. Brown sienna, yellow ochre, and grey lead based paint were also common. Lamp black was one of the most common paints do to low cost and availability.

Reds, greens and blues were made in Europe and expensive when available. White was very popular for houses but tended to fade or turn yellowish when exposed to the elements encountered at sea.

Common color schemes for ships were:

Black Hull with horizontal red oxide stripes.

Ochre hull with horizontal black stripes.

Sienna hull with horizontal black stripes.

All Black hull.

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