| S19-7(336) | D P G - E M L 1-3-45 |
Calco Chemical Division
American Cyanamid Company
158 Mt. Olivet Avenue
Newark 5, New Jersey
Attention: Mr. L Sklarz
Gentlmen:
This is in reply to your Inquiry of 22 December regarding the Bureau's position with respect to the continued use of ultramarine blue in Navy Paints.
Action has been taken toward revising all of the specifications for the gray camouflage paint to eliminate ultramarine blue requirement, except for Navy blue (Specification 52P44) and Thayer blue (Specification 52P47) which will continue to be used to a limited extent. The paint manufacturing Navy Yards, Norfolk and Mare Island, have already changed the production of most of the gray camouflage paints to the revised specifications. However the full impact of this change will not be felt in the private paint industry until all of the revised specifications in leaflet form are issued, about two months hense.
Ultratmarine blue pigment as covered by Federal Specification TT-U-450 will continue in striping paints and other miscellaneous uses for Navy shipboard painting.
Further, please note that with the change in camouflage paint specifications, manufacture, maintenance of stock and issue will be on the basis of ready-mixed paint and not on the basis of a white base and tinting material, thus dispening with further manufacture of the blue-black tinting paint (Specification 52P42), which consumed large amounts of blue pigment.
Sincerely yours,
