USS Iowa, Nov. 1944- MS22 or MS32a/1b?

[Haijun watcher]

Hi all,

I seem to be confused about USS Iowa's paint scheme in Nov. 1944.

As many of you know, she had the paint scheme MS 32a/1b for most of 1944.

However, this pic from Navsource says this is how she looked in November 1944, with the MS22 scheme as seen below.



Still, other pics in December 1944 and January 1945 show her still in MS 32a/1b.

Therefore I am confused, so she only had MS 22 for only a month or shorter in 1944? Or was this photo dated wrongly and meant to depict her in 1943?

The Shipcamouflage.com section on battleships doesn't say much for Iowa except MS32a/1b in 1944.

Just wondering if it's acceptable to paint her in MS 22 to depict her anytime in late 1944.

[Cliffy B]

Based on that photo alone it'll be hard to date it since it looks like the censor(s) really went to town on her. Either that or its a yard period photo and they're not down yet. The fact that the roof of Turret 2 is devoid of ANY AA guns is rather odd...

[Timmy C]

Looking at the bridge windows (or lackthereof), I'm fairly certain the MS22 image is from 1943, before she had the first modification to the bridge that installed the square windows beginning aft of the armoured conn. It also explains why the 20mm on top of Turret 2 are missing - they weren't censored out, they just hadn't been installed. Here's an uncensored photo of Iowa on April 4 1943, same fit: http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/016101a.jpg

[James M]

It is measure 12 or 22, not sure which one as they where similar.
She was commissioned in that paint job and carried it until she went to the Pacific in January 1944.

She transported President Roosevelt to the Tehran Conference in November and December of 1943 and was painted in measure 12 or 22.
http://navsource.org/archives/01/061/016143f.jpg
In November of 1943 she would have the 20mm gun tub on the bow and her open bridge arrangement.

The photo shown above is from her shakedown cruise in March 1943. No gun tub on the bow, original bridge arrangement, no 20mm's on turret 2 and only 15 40mm's instead of 19.


She left for the Pacific with the New Jersey in late Dec and arrived in Funfuniti atoll in January 1944.
That is where the painted her in measure 32
http://navsource.org/archives/01/061/016144p.jpg


James

[jefflarson]

I just picked up the 1/700 Tamiya Iowa over the weekend. The kit instructions reference 2 Tamiya spray paints for the blue and grey colors, but I prefer to airbrush these on rather than using cans. Any idea what Tamiya AS-8 (Navy Blue) and Tamiya AS-16 (light grey) would be in some other brand that I can airbrush on? Preferably acrylic.

Thanks.

[Timmy C]

The real names of the colours used were 5-N Navy Blue and 5-L Light Grey in the camo scheme suggested by Tamiya for that kit. Two acrylic options exist for those two colours: Lifecolor and Model Masters Acryl.

[Rick E Davis]

If you haven't caught on yet, don't always TRUST the Navsource Dates. Sometimes the WRONG ship is credited in a photo on Navsource. Heck even the dates on the original photos at NARA in the 80-G collection have to be taken with a degree of caution. Many times the date provided is when the negatives were TURNED-IN to whoever was cataloging them. In the case of the large units, like battleships, there generally are a LOT of photos of them and looking across a multitude of images and their dates can get you at least in the ballpark.

Plus, knowing the configuration of the ship over time really helps to set the date range.

In USS IOWA's case, she had several Camo Schemes/patterns during WWII. Besides starting out with Ms 22, her FIRST Dazzle scheme was a little different in having feathered edges. Not long afterwards she went to the more conventional sharp edge pattern. (I have a June 1944 dated image with sharp edges to her dazzle camo scheme) Then when she returned stateside in late December 1944 for an overhaul/repairs, she emerged in March 1945 painted in Ms 22.