The Ship Model Forum

Hello all

What would be the color of a Essex class hangar floor in 44/45?
Would it still be Deck blue 20-B?

I believe it would be deck gray, not deck blue.

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Martin

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne

Ship Model Gallery

I am doing Hancock in all Navy Blue scheme, so she would have a different color deck depending on the outside color or would the hangar deck color stay the same no matter the scheme?

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Matija

My understanding is that the decks inside the hangar deck were deck gray. The decks that were exterior decks were deck blue.

I'm sure Tracy White and others would know for sure.

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Martin

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne

Ship Model Gallery

Weather deck was #20 Deck Blue. Hangar spaces would be #20 Deck Gray up to about the roller doors, but I haven't seen a photo that clearly shows any sort of demarcation so it's possible that they just painted the last few inches beyond in Deck Gray as well.

Bulkheads and overheads were white except for the area around the elevator wells. Bulkheads surrounding the elevator were also painted 5-N Navy Blue except for the top six feet (about 5mm in 1/350) which were to be painted black. This was so the ships could drop both elevators by three feet and do engine run-ups before dawn launches without shining a light for all the IJN to see.

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Tracy White -Researcher@Large

"Let the evidence guide the research. Do not have a preconceived agenda which will only distort the result."
-Barbara Tuchman

Well here i am again still wanting to build the cv-12 hornet using a trumpeter kit with the fstar super detail set. The fstar set is very comprehensive especially with all the gallery deck details, having said that I'm having to create my own set of instructions so as to use it. Its an interesting problem to create a set of directions but I was a architectural draftsman for 30 years so I enjoy creating my own understandable drawings. First of course I have to wade through what Fstar gives you to work with. One of my modelbuilding buddy's was a systems engineer for JPL working for NASA and We talk often about the struggles to integrate different sources of material into a logical build sequence. P.S. I know I have to figure in painting a dazzle scheme along with this and when do I incorporate that in the build process? What can I say, I like a challenge. I still have the problem of the pe deck having one to many catapults which the Artwox Essex wooden deck would solve nicely. Alas they are out of business and I haven't found a deck yet. The only other option was the Nautilus deck which is supposed to fit the trumpeter kit. I got it and found out it doesn't align with the trumpeter deck....or the fstar pe deck, or any of the Dragon decks. I don't know what it would work with. So I'm here looking for advice on where I can try to find the Artwox deck. I've tried the main forum here, the traders forum here, E-Bay and no luck. Anyone have any other ideas where I can look or other suggestions for wood deck suppliers I should try? Eventually I might have to build some other Essex class ship but I don't want to give up yet.

Well, you could always fill in the extra catapult track and rescribe the deck.....

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Tracy White -Researcher@Large

"Let the evidence guide the research. Do not have a preconceived agenda which will only distort the result."
-Barbara Tuchman

If this was the plastic trumpeter deck that could conceivably be a solution though given the plane tie down details it would be an all time great job of filling and rescribing. The deck in question is the pe one from the fstar super set. If I were capable of such a rescribing job i’d probably be in trouble with the treasury department. In lieu of that I really need the the artwox deck. Or some other one catapult wood deck. Still looking for a solution.

If you gotta go with Artworx then you're going to have to be diligent and patient. Call up some of the used kit specialists you can find and make it worth their while to keep an eye out for you. Keep a search going on eBay and be prepared to wait. Might give you time to assemble the air wing without burning out...

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Tracy White -Researcher@Large

"Let the evidence guide the research. Do not have a preconceived agenda which will only distort the result."
-Barbara Tuchman

I had always thought that both Essex and Lexington commissioned without deck markings as none were visible in any of the pictures I have seen. This picture (from Mark Herber, Essex FB page) clearly shows dashed lines centerline and outboard. I posit that these are chrome yellow as Essex maintained the yellow centerline throughout the war. Also probably the reason it doesn't show up well in long shots. I believe Lexington had the same scheme from commission as you can just see a dashed line on the catapult track.
Top: Essex at Norfolk March 1943
Bottom: Lexington in Hampton Roads, May 1943.

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USS WASP CV-7 VIDEO SERIES

Episode 05: Builder's Trials
Guided Tour1: Hangar Deck

ESSEX CLASS TIMELINE
USS Ticonderoga CV-14 Operational History
USS Shangri La, 1945 in Color

and about the book on Essex carriers, are there some news? Where can I buy it? Thanks

It has a start/stop status. I'd like one more trip to the US National Archives to finish a few searches/scans but archives has been effectively closed since the pandemic started.

I did make some great progress with the aigroups last year but that too is unfinished as I got busy with work. Essentially I am blending the weekly location of aircraft reports, ship, and squadron war diaries to get a weekly and daily summary of aircraft for each ship, including the plane numbers when possible for those wanting that level of information for air group decals. Some ship's war diaries are better than others, and I don't have access to all of the squadron war diaries, so it's not going to be perfect, but it should be more than we've ever had in one source before. I've also been working on a similar project for the CVLs, since things are a little simpler It gives me a "less complex" data set to practice and experiment with.

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Tracy White -Researcher@Large

"Let the evidence guide the research. Do not have a preconceived agenda which will only distort the result."
-Barbara Tuchman

Greetings,

I am creating a set of aircraft decals for the Ticonderoga 1944. I got a printer that can print white, so I am going to try to use that. So, for that era, there is a small white number on the cowling, white stars, and a white number on the tail with a "V" under the number. I can't find any information on the numbering scheme for 1944. For 1945, fighters are 100 series, torpedo bombers 200, bombers 300. For 1944 it seems like it is 10-?? for fighters, somewhere in the 70s for Torpedo Bombers and bombers.

So, does anybody have information on what number ranges go with what type aircraft for Air Group 80, Ticonderoga 1944?

Thanks,

Mark

Travelling - let me get home to my documentation and photos and see what I can do for you.

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Tracy White -Researcher@Large

"Let the evidence guide the research. Do not have a preconceived agenda which will only distort the result."
-Barbara Tuchman

OK, sorry this took so long - I had to finish a review of Trumpeter's new CVE-26 Sangamon kit...

Photos I have for CV-14 Ticonderoga:

October 1944
F6F-5 #48, 52, 53, 56, 62, 64, 67, 73, 75, 80, 89, & 91
SB2Cs #25, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 39, & 41
TBF/M in tri-color #5, 16

November 1944 - inverted ^
F6F-5 #22 but with a faded / partially visible 62 visible on the tail. Also #30, 35, 36, 47, & 48
SB2C #74 but the 7 is clearly painted over a 3. Also #62, 78, 83
tricolor TBM-2 #84 & 102

January 9, 1945 have the inverted ^ with F6F-5Ns 52 & 55 and regular F6F-5s in the 20 series (they're farther back but I think I see 34 & 24)

May 1945 - F6F-5 10,000th Hellcat plane #76

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Tracy White -Researcher@Large

"Let the evidence guide the research. Do not have a preconceived agenda which will only distort the result."
-Barbara Tuchman

Thanks Tracy!

It's been awhile since I posted, if ya look back you'll find some posts on my Trumpeter 1/350 USS Essex build. The ship was completed last autumn, but I didn't have any aircraft finished for her at that time. At long last, I completed the 24 SBD Dauntless dive bombers, very disappointed with the Trumpeter aircraft, mainly the canopies. After getting them painted and applied the decals, next step was the canopies. They were undersized: not tall enough, and more narrow than the fuselages. I attached them with white glue, hoping the glue would turn clear (it did) and allow them to sit a little higher/ fill the gaps. Not all that successful, and I have since learned about the UV stuff which I will try on the 18 TBFs I plan on adding next. I am by no means an expert, and this is my first attempt at a larger ship, and my first attempt at building anything in decades.

Trumpeter's CVE-26 Sangamon kit has some new-tooled airplanes... there should be a review of the kit posted here soon, but I believe the (opaque) SBD canopies match the profile better. Not sure if Trumpeter will be selling them separate, but it could be a solution.

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Tracy White -Researcher@Large

"Let the evidence guide the research. Do not have a preconceived agenda which will only distort the result."
-Barbara Tuchman

Looking for any and all bulkhead photos of the hanger deck. I'm trying to do as much as I can in a 1/96 scale model of the Ticonderoga CV 14. I have drawings but photos would help to clear up things.

Duane

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Harry S. Truman CVN 75, George W. Bush CVN 77
Makin Island LHD 8, Oak Hill LSD 51
Vincennes CG 49, Port Royal CG 72
Cole DDG 67, The Sullivans DDG 68
Bainbridge DDG 96, Jason Dunham DDG 109
Arthur W. Radford DD 968, Kidd DDG 993
Chicago CG 11

Do you have a good idea of how the transverse beams and stringers work?

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Tracy White -Researcher@Large

"Let the evidence guide the research. Do not have a preconceived agenda which will only distort the result."
-Barbara Tuchman