DavidP wrote:
a survivor who was involved with the painting says painting was incomplete & not yet done above the 01 deck because of the attack.
Hi David, thanks for the response.
Your referring to Loren Bruener's statement when directly asked if the painting was done.... kinda as an afterthought..... I know from many interviews I have read from ships personnel of the period that a ships painting is never done especially during peacetime. They are constantly being repainted.... His response just prior to that question being asked was that his area was done but that he didn't know about the areas that were not his responsibility... that was his direct answer to being asked about the rest of the areas of the ship.... While in the group his statement that it was blue paint was unchallenged by the rest of the group. Distinctly because of the difficulty in covering the almost black 5D with the much lighter 5S....
I'm using a preponderance of the evidence judgment here where it seems like many are using a beyond reasonable doubt standard here...
I can understand wanting a final absolute answer which would probably take the form of some kind of document from ships force stating directly that the painting was completed...
I doubt that is ever going to be found. But I pose this from the lengthy discussion of witness reliability and how we cannot rely on muddled, decades old witness testimony on the one hand yet everyone seems to be hanging their hat on Loren Bruener's credibility for this ONE statement as an absolute...... Especially stacked up against all the other evidence which admittedly does not state with absolute clarity that the job was finished...
Hence my conclusion that there was a ton of blue paint on Arizona, the fact that she was repainted and in 5S is not in doubt. We may not have the absolute fact established from a document saying such as she was finished. But from the documents available, 5S was the only paint available to paint her in after repairing her damage, Measure 1 in that 5S were the orders in hand during her repair. (revised ships 2 came down during her repair changing Measure 1 to Measure 11 which was simply a change in base color from 5D to 5S) The testimony of the guys aboard (including Loren Bruener's) confirm that sufficient paint was brought aboard, the entire crew not standing regular watches were ordered to heave to for painting detail during those repairs, documents clearly stating that 5S was the only paint available, the damage being such extent that it would require a complete repaint, those orders were acted upon.
The preponderance of evidence says it was done in my opinion..... and no I cannot hang my hat on Loren Bruener's one answer to an off the cuff question about areas he clearly said were not his responsibility so he didn't know, his area was done was his direct answer. A very understandable response, given being trained to take care of your duties and not worry about others persons assigned duties.... I suspect many of the crew were just like him.... Their areas were done....
I can only come to the conclusion for me that she was finished in Measure 11, 5S, Sea Blue.
That is my opinion based upon the evidence we have in hand.
My only question was is my summary of what I've read over 119 pages correct?
The only remaining question is ....
"Was the USS Arizona's paint job in November after her collision with the Oklahoma, completed?"
.....the evidence of what that job was is already in hand....
And I agree that we do not know for sure and prior to her collision, she was in Measure 1, 5D, Dark Grey....
I hope this clears up what I was asking....
I don't want to drag up another argument just get a firm footing on the state of Arizona's paint as of the assembled information to date.....