35. A Masterpiece of Camouflage
The hard work of the Abraham Crijnssen’s crew paid off. Between covering the entire deck with foliage, and painting any exposed metal in shades of gray to imitate rock formations, the Dutch minesweeper managed to pull off a decent job of resembling an island. At least from a distance.
A key difference between a ship and an island, however, is that the former moves, while the latter is stationary. The camouflage was intended for the daytime, during which the Crijnssen remained stationary, anchored as close as possible to actual islands. Once darkness fell, the small ship would raise steam and carefully wend her way through the dangerous waters of the Java Sea, headed for the safety of Australia.