Paint schemes for APAs, 4/45

[Doug Hallet]

Tracey, I suppose you know this, but for anyone else, I'm assuming that Haskell Class attack transports wore MS21 (overall Navy blue) for the Okinawa campaign, correct? The B/W pictures I've seen from the era show a much darker color than would be the case for gray. I'm assuming that all of the splinter camo schemes were painted over by then. Only color pics I can find (built-to-order display kits) basically show post-war colors.

[Tracy White]

I believe so... late 1944 the documentation for Astoria changes the orders for the new-construction ships from Ms 32 to Measure 21, starting with APA-175. The other ships would have repainted on an individual time frame, "your mileage may vary, check appropriate references." We see some of the carriers in dazzle until June even though they're ordered into solid or graded schemes in January, so I'm not 100% confident either way....

I've got this started: http://www.shipcamouflage.com/haskell_class.htm

[Doug Hallet]

Thanks Tracey, I'm doing APA 200 Marathon. I have several war-time reference pics in an overall dark color, no date given.

[Tracy White]

Unfortunately the camo records I came across covered only APAs 152-198. So close, and yet so far.
I'll go through the documents I have scanned in tomorrow and see if there's anything about APA-200 in them.

[Doug Hallet]

Tracey,

Marathon definitely wore a splinter scheme in 1944 and was painted over to MS 21 later. At the very least, she was wearing blue at the time of the Kaiten attack (7/22/45).

[Tracy White]

I keep my eyes out for Auxiliary photos and information at the archives because there's just so much missing for them....

If you have photos of her dazzle scheme could you compare them to these photos and let me know which pattern it matches? I'd love to be able to add another listing to the database:

MS32 6A
http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/03/03157.htm APA-157 Napa
http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/03/03163.htm APA-163 Eastland
http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/03/03169.htm APA-169 Gallatin

MS32 4T
http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/03/03160.htm APA-160 Deuel
http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/03/03166.htm APA-166 Fond Du Lac

[Doug Hallet]

Here's the pic. it appears to be 6A, correct?...

[Tracy White]

Yeah, dead on. I'll update that tonight!

[Tracy White]

Doug, I hadn't thought to hit the USNI photo site until you posted that photo.. I managed to update about ten ships because of that, so thanks for popping that on for me.