Essex class carrier colors ( Franklin ) 1944 -45

[silvertrekkie]

Hello all!
I am building my first carrier, the U.S.S. Franklin.

Trumpeter does not specify colors for the hangar deck or the walls / bulkheads or for that matter any of the control structure or vertical areas other than the camouflage pattern on the hull. I have searched this site and looked around the internet and cannot find anything definitive for colors.

Also purchased the Pontos detail up set and looking for suggestions on that.

Any help from any of you much more experienced builders sure would be great.

If I missed it somewhere on here I apologize.
Thank you all.

[Jon C Ryckert]

It is my understanding that the hanger deck was painted #20 Standard deck Gray and the walls were white. If I am am wrong, anyone can feel free to correct me.

[silverisking1]

I think i need to clarify my question . I have been on cybermodeler and True North paints and there are so many choices for U.S. Navy WW 2 paints and i have no idea which to utilize , is it haze gray for the control structure and guns as well as the outside of the walls and garage type doors . Light gray , haze gray , ocean gray , pale gray , i have zero clue . I appreciate the hangar deck color but just curious about the white , what shade ? Like i stated , first WW2 U.S. Navy ship and very confused .

[Tracy White]

It depends on the time frame. Franklin came out of overhaul at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in February 1945 in Camouflage Measure 21. Everything, including guns would largely be painted to match the bulkheads behind them. The quad 40mm and 20mm barrels often got too hot to keep paint from burning.

Hangar space the deck was #20 Deck Gray as mentioned, and the bulkheads and overheads were white. The caveat to that rule is the bulkheads around the elevator wells - hose were painted in 5-N Navy Blue to match the exterior of the ship so that when the elevator dropped the bulkheads didn't stand out like a target. The top six feet of these bulkheads were painted black to help trap light when the elevators were partially dropped for ventilation during early morning (i.e. dark) engine run-ups in the hangar bay.

[silverisking1]

Thank you so much Tracy for clearing up my confusion . I am going to be modeling her in measure 21 , i just have a few more questions . In some photos i have seen the underside of the island platforms as well i would imagine gun platforms , painted white . Does that still stand for measure 21 ? Also when they say horizontal surfaces painted deck blue 20 -b which horizontal surfaces other than the deck ? One more for you , at that time , were all of the aircraft on board painted the dark blue overall or was the two or three color scheme still used on some aircraft ? My father always said the only dumb question is the one not asked . I hope you feel the same , i just want to do this kit the proper justice . thank you .

[Tracy White]

The white was known as counter-shading, and wasn't disallowed for Measure 21, but it also wasn't used with it much. It was much more of a part of the dazzle schemes. Franklin's Measure 21 didn't have it based on the post-fire photos we have access to on her Navsource page like this one.

At the time of her catastrophic fire, she was primarily a Corsair carrier (68) and they and her small contingent of Hellcats (four night fighters and two photo birds) were all Glossy Sea Blue. Carrier Group Five also had 15 SB2C-4Es and 15 TBM-3s. I've seen both in tri-color and glossy sea blue and don't have any definitive photos for Franklin's aircraft, so I can't help you there at this point.

*Edit* Deck Blue would have been used on thinks like calwalk platforms, the tops of the Mk37 directors and 5" gun houses, etc. I've seen it used on the top of 5" gun barrels but only when the side of the ship and barrels was a lighter color such as Ocean or Haze Gray. Not enough difference to care with Navy Blue.