Question on Alabama

Modeling Subjects Ships
1

I am completing the 1:700 waterline version of the Alabama. The box art and the instructions are a little confusing when it comes to painting. I am doing the camo scheme, that is not a problem. I painted the deck a wood, actually a darker wood than I should have. But, it looks good. My questions are these.

The box art shows the wood deck to be from front to back. The instructions seem to indicate that the front and the back where the 2 planes are actually are not wood painted but are the overall grey. The texture of the deck here is wood. What was it.

Second, the actual barrels of the deck guns, the three large cannons, what color are they? Are they black near the base and grey for the rest?

The small guns all over the ship, look like antiaircraft gns, are they all grey or are the barrels something else?

Finally, the anchor chains on the front deck, are they painted the color of the deck in that region? Or, are they a silver?

Do people apply any washes like we do with airdraft and armor to enhance things? How is the ship weathered?

Thanks, lots of questions but this is my first ship.

2

The Alabama had a few camo schemes durring WW2. In the Pacific many ships had their wood decks stained blue. There were during the war a system of codified camo schemes. I commonly used for battleships had bands of color around the ship, the hull was painted dark gray, the lower superstructure was painted medium gray, and the upper superstructure and mast light gray. [8][8][8][8][8]

EDIT:

Forget what I said just follow this link: [:0]
http://www.shipcamouflage.com/measures.htm

3

Wow…ok, let’s take this on one step at a time.

USS Alabama wore two schemes, a Measure 12 Revised, and Measure 22. I will explain both, but the Hasegawa kit depicts the ship in 1944, long after she’d painted out of the Measure 12R scheme. In other words, the box art is WRONG WRONG WRONG.

Measure 12R is what you see on the box, a splotch pattern using 5-N Navy Blue and 5-O Ocean gray on the hull, and 5-O Ocean Gray and 5-H Haze Gray on the upperworks. But toss that scheme.

Alabama wore Measure 22…and here’s how you do it…starting at the stern, draw a line that’s parallel to the waterline towards the bow. Paint the lower hull 5-N Navy Blue, and everything above that 5-H Haze Gray, including the superstructure.

Your deck is not wood colored, but is painted 20-B Deck Blue. This also includes turret tops, and decks levels on the superstructure as well. Basically, when you look straight down on the ship from above, you shouldn’t be able to see the light gray.

The barrels on the main guns varied from ship to ship, some were all Deck Blue, some were bottom half Haze Gray, upper half Deck Blue, with a metallic gray band at the base where the blast bags are. Some were overall Haze Gray, which is the way she appeared after her 45 refit. Splinter shields, 40mm guns, life boats, basically everything, should be painted whatever color the background is. 20mm barrels are gun metal or black, as are the recoil springs on the 40mm Bofors. Radar, antennas, cranes, are all Haze Gray.

Anchor chains are generally dark gray, black, or deck blue. That varies from ship to ship.

Here’s some photos to help you out.


Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.

Jeff

4

Check out the Alabama photo page at:

http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/60a.htm

5

Wow, thank you thank you for this wonderful info. I can’t belive the box art!!!

6

Better still, go see the real thing, as Alabama is anchored off I-10 near Mobile Alabama.
You literally can’t miss it. Or see her sister ship Massachussettes at her permanent anchorage at Fall River.

7

Yeah! I’ve been to Alabama many many moons ago. I was about 12 years old. I still remember looking out as we crossed the bridge on the way to see her. I was looking at the top of the superstructure and trying to reconcile it with what I knew she looked like, and my eyes were fooled into thinking she was much further away because I couldn’t make her out. Then suddenly it was as if she just loomed out in front of me and I couldn’t believe she was so huge!

I alse remember looking through the optical aiming equipment on the main turrets and seeing the cars on the Mobile Bay bridge! That was cool!