Talk:AFOH/@comment-24642271-20160824042947/@comment-14850713-20160825032928

The black hull and light superstructure combo was in vogue before the 1900s, so I can imagine Japanese pre-dreadnoughts and armored cruisers sporting this scheme (I guess with the superstructure more white than pale yellow as the IJN had British built/designed ships). The Russians followed the French color scheme as many of the Czarist ships were either designed in or purchased from France (like the Borodinos of Tsushima fame). By the beginning of the 20th century, navies have mostly shifted to the more familiar naval gray.