The Ship Model Forum

Were ships on the RN East Indies Station painted white with buff funnels and masts for most of the 1920s/1930s?

In Raven and Roberts' "British Cruisers of World War Two" perhaps this paint scheme is on:

HMS Effingham in Portsmouth 1932
HMS Emerald on completion 1926
HMS Enterprise at Portsmouth paying off March 1938
HMS Hawkins at Portsmouth paying off February 1935

Was the West Indies Station an overall light grey in these decades, or was it painted similarly with a white hull and buff upper?

Interwar East Indies was generally (but not always) white hull and upperworks and primrose yellow (not buff) funnels. West Indies looks to have been light grey overall throughout. Here is a typical interwar Fleet Order:

(China Station other than gunboats went light grey overall in May 1935)

Thank you for that information dick.

https://www.world-war.co.uk/Cairo/colombo.php

Looking at this link for Colombo, I think I can see:

First photo, labelled "1926" - white hull and upperworks, primrose yellow funnels (and spotting top??)

Second photo, labelled "probably in the 20s" - white hull and grey upperworks, black starfish, white spotting top

Am I seeing right? These bright colours would make a good model given we have the 1/350 Calcutta kit now.

Colombo served both China Station and East Indies so certainly could have worn both. In the second photo - is the rear superstructure (under X turret) white? Or is this a sunlight effect? I have seen similar on photos of HMS Durban.

https://naval-history.net/WW1z08China-Durban.htm

Excellent link concerning Durban on route to, and on China Station with great photos. 1st pic grey upperworks, white hull? Photo 12 is a good pic of HMS Emerald in China Station colours too.

Ok, two comments/questions:1 Do you understand how the camoflage and spotting mechanics in this game work?2 Why dont you post a replay and ask for advice?