Fascinating photographs from the war at sea during the Second World War have been after expertly colorized for the first time.
The vivid color pictures show 40mm guns firing aboard the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Hornet on 16 February 1945, as the planes of Task Force 58 were raiding Tokyo.
They also show aircraft carrier USS Franklin being attacked during World War Two and a U.S. Navy Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighter making condensation rings as it awaits the take-off flag aboard USS Yorktown.
USS Missisippi unleashing its awesome firepower in the South Pacific. The ship was launched in 1917 and remained in service until 1956
Aircraft carrier USS Franklin after being attacked by Japanese aircraft during World War II, March 19, 1945. She was badly damaged with the loss of over 800 crew but stayed afloat becoming the most heavily damaged United States carrier to survive the war
The magazine of British battleship HMS Barham exploding after being hit by torpedoes from at German U-boat in the Mediterranean in 1941
Smoke billowing from battleship USS West Virginia at Pearl Harbour after the US Pacific fleet came under surprise attack by the Japanese
An explosion during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbour, an event that led to the United States entering WWII
Ssailors of the USS Mason commissioned at Boston Navy Yard on 20 March 1944 proudly look over their ship which was the first to have predominately African-American crew.
Other striking shots show Troops in an LCVP landing craft approaching Omaha Beach on D-Day, Coast Guardsmen from the cutter USCGC Spencer picking up survivors from the U-Boat U-175 just before it made its final dive and US Army troops examining a one-man submarine that washed up on Anzio beachhead in Italy.
The black and white photographs were painstakingly colourised by design engineer Paul Reynolds, 55, from Birmingham, in the U.K.
‘I mostly colourise war photos because each photo usually has a story to tell, stories of real everyday people,’ he said.
A funeral taking place on a United States Coast Guard vessel at sea during the Second World War
A bomber banks away after dropping its load on a Japanese submarine chaser off Kavieng
HMS Belfast is bound in ice while serving on an Arctic Convoy delivering vital supplies to the Soviet Union 1943
The crew of the cruiser HMS Sheffield facing a huge wave also while serving as an escort for the Arctic Convoys
US Army troops examine a one-man submarine that washed up on Anzio beachhead in Italy during World War II
The United States Coast Guard Cutter Spencer dropping depth charges. At the outbreak of WWII, coast guard vessels served under US Navy command
A U.S. Navy Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighter makes condensation rings as it awaits the take-off flag aboard USS Yorktown in November 1943
US army soldiers cross the Rhine at Saint Goar, in March 1945 (left) while the 17th Regimental Combat Team Lands on Carlos Island, in the Pacific, in January 1944
Sailors with heads clipped in bizarre designs during Neptune party aboard the USS Saratoga February 1944 to mark the ship cross the Equator
The crew of fire 40mm guns firing aboard the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Hornet in February 1945, as the planes of Task Force 58 were raiding Tokyo
Coast Guardsmen from the cutter USCGC Spencer picking up survivors from the U-Boat U-175 (left) while right the submarine is pictured just before it sank
The unusual French submarine ‘Surcouf’, which in its day was the largest of its kind. The boat was lost during in February, possibly after a night time collision with an American freighter
German battleship Bismark as seen from her sister ship Prinz Eugen in May 1941. She was sunk by British warplanes and ships that year
The German submarine UC-61 after being beached. The boat was commissioned in 1939 and was scuttled at the end of the war
Troops in an LCVP landing craft approaching Omaha Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944
An officer on the battleship USS South Dakota, which in active service from 1942 until 1947
‘I think when it comes to colorizing many artists concentrate on the land war, but I like to try and cover all aspects of the war; land, air and sea.
‘Adding color to maritime photos makes the content of the photo stand out from the usual grayscale background.
‘My personal favorite photo from this set is the ice covered convoy ship. The convoys were the lifeblood of Britain during WWII and their bravery and hardships are mostly forgotten and rarely portrayed in historical films or texts.
‘By colourising them I hope it helps for people to remember contribution these sailors made to war effort were every bit as important as the fighting forces.’
Pictures like these form part of a new book on iconic colourised photographs called Retrographic by author Michael D. Carroll.
The book is currently available to buy on Amazon for £16.85.