I'm gathering references to build the 1/72 Revell kit.
Of the possible paint schemes I could use, I like 32/3SS-B the best, as I find it to be the most interesting. However, from what I've been able to find out, during the years '43 and '44, the Flasher was painted in Measure 9, which is well, rather bland.
There was no information available for what the Flasher was painted in '45, however, several other boats were using 32/355-B at that time.
While the Flasher's conning tower is currently painted light grey, that means obviously means absolutely nothing as it's museum piece now.

Question 1: Is there any difinitive evidence that the Flasher ever used 32/355-B late in the war?

Question 2: After cutting down the fairwater is there some sort of decking even with the top of it? Are the kit supplied support girders inside of sufficient detail to use?

Question 3: Did the Flasher do away with the propellor guards or not?

Question 4: If it did do away with the guards, do any of the available PE sets come with the cover plates, or must they be scratchbuilt? (seems an easy task, but if getting the PE anyway, might as well get the set with most of what I need)

Question 5: I assume the propellors were composite rather than iron. If so, after polishing and coating, did they still really have a bright metallic sheen?

I've read in several different places that the armament was up to the Captain's discretion. I'd like to add an additional 5 inch gun behind the sail.
Question 6: Is there any photographic evidence the Flasher did so?

Question 7: From personal experience, how much of a pain in the @$$ is it to use the available stencils to correctly place the missing holes in the hull? I magine cutting them to be not too difficult, but what about thinning them out from the inside for proper scale appearance? Anyone had real success with this?

Thanks.

Well, since I've had a bit of a break, I've had time to do some further research, and have talk to some vets from USSubVets.
I've known for a time now that dozens of sites show a photo of the "Flasher" that is clearly not. I've been hesitant for that reason to use many of those photos. However, I finally found one that is positively the Flasher, with a light grey sail. Question 1 answered.
Same photo shows a good view of fairwater cutdown. Plus, with detail photos of the real thing on their way, basically Question 2 is answered. And no, part #65, the internal support structure, needs a lot of work to be correct.
Question 3, still unknown, but I'm leaving them off. After examining the PE, there are no plates to cover the openings, but that's easy to do. Question 4 done.
Question 5 answered, thanks to a phone call.
Question 6- since the Flashers 5 inch gun is also at a museum in Groton, I can use one. Still don't know if they used a second one, so I'll go without one behind the sail. Too bad, it would have looked cool.
Question 7, I guess no one's used the stuff. At least the Flasher for the most part had the correct shape and number of limber holes. Except, it seems for the four vertical ones which look like steps. I think I can cut one myself without too much aggravation. With any luck, WIP may show up in about a week.

Follow this link to a photo of Flasher in 1945--clearly NOT in Ms.9:

http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/0824912.jpg

Thanks John. That's exactly the one I meant when I said it was positively the Flasher. It's also the same photo that I'm using to alter the support beams. For some reason my first rounds of searches weren't bringing that site up.
If you happen to know, what is that oval shaped indentation to the upper right of the Flasher emblem in the photo? It's not in the kit, and appears to be a stowage rack of some sort.

Thanks again.

looks like a running light, only waaay too big. The boat behind has one, smaller. Interesting...

#3 - not def for Flasher, but I think most all boats removed them early and used non-permanent bolt on for in harbor.

#4 - some guards didn't attach the way the kit shows , so there wouldn't be plates to cover i don't think. Pretty boat specific.

#5 - props were bronze. (Uboats started bronze and ended up steel when ran short). Props got dirty, so if it were me, I wouldn't go shiny (see my uboat brass props weathered in acid and salt water: http://www.rokket.biz/models/modelsweb/rokket/u557/finished.shtml )

#6 - I don't think so, but late was at least one or two boats did. technically, there were rules, but Captains had some authority, provided resources allowed. I think there is one 2 gun boat, but it would be...outrageous.

#7 - I thinned all my floods in uboat (see above link pages for drawing and detail) and will in Gato, by thinning the edges to give illusion of entire hull being scale-thin. It's very simple in principle, just a bit of repition 9and a very sharp blade), do-able and worth it! What extra holes do you mean? Flasher was an Elect Boat boat, and had the EB limber pattern. Some EBs converted to Portsmouth late in war, but a 1945 pic of Flasher at navsource shows the EB pattern...