British naval commanders during World War II painted their warships and submarines a shade called Mountbatten Pink to camouflage them during dawn and dusk.

A closer look

British naval commanders during World War II painted their warships and submarines a shade called Mountbatten Pink to camouflage them during dawn and dusk. Invented by Lord Louis Mountbatten, this specific pastel hue was designed to match the color of the sky at sunrise and sunset, theoretically making multi-ton military vessels vanish into the horizon. The strategy actually worked decently well against enemy ships, but they soon realized the bright pink transport vessels were blindingly obvious to German planes flying overhead during the middle of the day. The military eventually abandoned the color scheme, tragically robbing history of the chance to see a fleet of heavily armed Barbie-themed submarines terrifying the Axis powers into submission!