What color was the USS Essex flight deck? wood color?

can someone please help me with this?

Would have to know the era you are moseling her in. Depends on the year. I served on ESSEX in the early 60's, but there were other colors used during WWII. It was never wood colored except maybe in areas that got severe wear and the paint/stain/nonskid wore off.

EJ

First off..... you gotta give more than 22 minutes before you start bumping threads. This is a message board, not a 24/7 instant help line.

Second, perhaps Langley and the other 1920s carriers were natural wood color, but no US carrier has had a wood-colored deck since the 1930s at least. Now, they may have been beat to snot and showing a lot of *weathered and worn* wood, but they were never left natural wood.

From WWII through Korea a blue stain was used. As she was first launched, she probably had a lighter stain, but the vast majority of the war had her in a flight deck stain that was close to the color 20-B Deck Blue. You can see this same stain in use here in 1955.

thanks, for the help, I am building USS Essex in 1943

thanks for the help

Tracy,
I have one other question in regards to the 1943 USS Essex I am building. The model includes numerous life rafts (not boats). I plan on painting them yellow. What color should they be?
Thanks for setting me straight on the timeframe. Hperry

I am sure they arent yellow.... white more likely check what the directions say they are usually not to far off. I built the 350 Trumpeter kit maybe 8 years ago. i got a Toms PE set to augment it srue made a big difference

Camouflage was very important to the Navy, so the rafts and boats were painted to match the area they were mounted to. You can see in this photo that the rafts aft of USS Fond Du Lac APA-166's superstructure are even painted to match the camouflage pattern. Since Essex was in Camouflage Measure 21 in 1943, the rafts would have been painted the same 5-N Navy Blue as the rest of the ship.

Blaster,
Thanks for the response. unfortunately the painting direction do not stipulate a color. By the way, what is "Tom Set"?
Should I go with white for the rafts?
Hperry

He's referring to the Tom's Modelworks 1/350th photo-etch detail set. You never stated the kit, or scale that you're building in, though, so I don't know if it's applicable.

Once again, the rafts and boats should be painted in Navy Blue and not white or Yellow. The Navy felt it more important to protect the ship than have brightly visible rafts. It's far better the sailors not have to use the rafts at all, then be floating around after in highly visible that contributed to you being in the water!

very helpful, thanks

pmurph, Tracy is right on with the color scheme. My Father was a plank holder on the USS Essex, coming aboard in December 1942 and leaving the ship in April 1944 when she reported to San Francisco for refit. Very little was done to her from commissioning to refit. As the class leader, she had several differences from the rest of her class, but most of them were relatively minor. There are several good references for the Essex, among them Steve Backer's Shipcraft #12 "Essex Class Carriers; Faltum's "The Essex Class Aircraft Carriers", and Friedman's U.S. "Aircraft Carriers". Another useful guide is Robert Lawson & Barret Tillman's "Carrier Air War in Color". This last has a lot of really good color photos. Sadly, not many photos of the Essex have been published in color. If you are building Trumpeter's 1/350th model for 1943, there are several accuracy issues which need to be addressed, notably in the island 20mm galleries, the starboard aft hanger deck gallery,and a few other areas, but it's a nice kit nevertheless. Good Luck with the build.

Hey Russ, good to see you here! Just as an update, I've got a trip coming up this fall to the Archives to try and finish some camouflage and Essex class research. Book is progressing, just slowly due to the cost to get out to DC from here.

Tracy,
I browse around the Kitmaker network on occasion. I still haven't figured out how to post stuff yet, or I'd post my Trumpeter Essex-- there are many details of the Essex class that vary by ship (as you well know). By the way, I've used the Tom's Model Works photo etch set, and it's very good, but I understand the Gold Medal set is better, for anyone that's interested in sprucing up their Essex class carrier.
VR, Russ