GHQ Models Forums

My father-in-law wants a model of the Bennington to give to a friend who served on her (as did his brother). I'd like to paint it in the dazzle seen here:


A couple questions.

The deck is dark blue or is it gray?

The dazzle colors are navy blue, medium blue and pale gray? Or is it white? Suggestions on colors to use (Vallejo preferred).

Would like to get close as they served just after WW2 (no one makes a model of the 1954 upgraded version, that I know of).

I don't know if you know this site but there are pages of photo albums. Might be best to get a time period.

http://www.uss-bennington.org/phz-intro.html

Stephen

I did poke around there but half the links are dead....didn't find anything useful.

Figured you did but Thought I'd post it anyways. Looks like post war it was changed quite a lot.

Per Ship camouflage, Measure 32, for the BENNINGTON, IN '44 would be

Paint all exposed vertical surfaces a pattern of:

vertical surfaces
Light Gray 5-L.
Ocean Gray 5-O.
Black

Horizontal Surfaces:
Paint all decks and horizontal surfaces a pattern of:

Deck Blue, 20-B.
Ocean Gray 5-O.
The camouflage for '45 was different, again.

A Google search for E-s-s-e-x class aircraft carrier will help with colors if you click on images.

Obviously drop the dashes. Dang censor!

I can't be sure from the small photo in your posting, but based on similar photos on the NavSource Naval History website the camouflage pattern is either:
Measure 32 Design 17A (#1), a 6-color pattern which was applied during working-up or
Measure 32 Design 17A(#2), a similar 3-color pattern that was applied before first combat.

During workup the deck was unstained light wood. Before entering combat the deck was stained blue with black numerals and dash lines. The elevators were not outlined.

This site also has a photo (black and white) of the port-side 3-color camouflage.

Next, look at the Wikipedia article on "World War II ship camouflage measure of the United States Navy. This states that the colors of Measure 32 were Black, Light Grey, and Ocean Grey. There's no specific information on the six-color mix, but it probably included Haze Grey, Deck Blue, and White (for counter-shading on lower surfaces).

While Measure 32 looks good, by July of 1945 the Bennington was in the much simpler Measure 22 camouflage. If your father's friend and bother served just after the war, ship colors were even simpler - a single color, usually Haze Grey. They would never have seen Measure 32.

Haze Grey and underway.

Don S.

Hi Mark,
You might want to ask your questions over on the Steel Navy message board,
http://members.boardhost.com/Warship/, depending on what scale you are looking
at, they might be able to give you an idea on what model would be a good starting
point, to build the Bennington, along with the painting guidelines.

you could always use a deck decal

https://www.flightdeckdecals2400.com/** CENSORED **-class-cvs

They even have 2 versions for the USS Bennington.