Quora Answer: Was There New Technology That Caused the US Navy to Stop Using Black & White Stripes as Camouflage for Its Warships during World War I?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “Was there a new technology, or development, that caused the US Navy to stop using black-and-white stripes and shapes, as camouflage for its warships in the WW1 era?”

Dazzle camouflage was an experiment.  The idea was that the disconcerting lines and shading would obscure estimates of the movement and speed of the vessel when spotted visually.  It was used well into the early days of World War II.  With the advent of radar, or more specifically, the Automated Radar Plotting Aid, it became extinct.  Vessels were no longer tracked visually, but through electronic means, which rendered dazzle camouflage irrelevant.  Now, with satellites, and over the horizon engagement capabilities, the colours of vessels are not as important as their ability to diminish their electronic signature.