I am modeling a Fletcher (Revell 1:305) and was wondering if anyone could offer some up to date colors, FS numbers, etc.?

Floquil has come out with a series of WWII marine paints that match USN colors:

a. Navy Blue 5-N	(Floquil) 818598	\
b. Ocean Gray 5-O	818596	\|
c. Weather Deck Blue 20-B	818600	\|
d. Haze Grey 5-H	818594	\| - these are the Floquil part nos.
e. Deck House Blue	818704	\|
f. Pale Blue 5-P	818590	\|
g. Light Grey 5-L	818592	/

{Rob Robinson}

NOTE - Floquil has discontinued their line of marine colors. However, Model Expo has come out with their own version of marine paints.
{John O. Kopf}

Tom Walkowiak runs The Floating Drydock, a model shop/reference house (?). He has a vast library of photos of USN vessels, and can provide 8" x 10" glossies for given hull numbers and time periods. He also sells U.S. Navy Camouflage & Markings for $7.99, which lists all the camouflage patterns used by the USN during WWII. His address is:

          The Floating Drydock
          P.O. Box 9587, Treasure Island, FL  33740

I have his U.S. Navy Camouflage & Markings book. The book is a fair compendium of everything one would wish to know about U.S. Navy Camouflage and Markings in WW II. However, if your worried about absolute accuracy, you need to determine which of the hundreds of Fletchers you'll be doing - the camouflage patterns vary. In fact, The Floating Drydock also sells (for a few bucks, I think) a list of most USN WWII vessels with the camouflage measures that each had during the war. The Floating Drydock sells camouflage sheets for most measures and ship classes.
{Rob Robinson}

I have both, along with their color chipset. The C&M book is very useful for things you don't think about until you get there like the horizontal colors, both decks and undersides of whatever. Highly recommended, and I only wish there was something like it for other navies.

BTW, the list of USN vessels/measures is only for those in measures 31/32/33, not 21 or 22. And they don't mention the time period. Since ships seemed to change colors like new dresses, ...

Per the aforementioned USN Camouflage 1 of the WW2 Era from Floating Drydock:

"After [1946-47] almost all vessels adopted Measure 13, solid haze gray (5-H) as peacetime paint", until the next set of regulations came out.
After March 1953, use either Measure 27 (same as 13, above) or 17 (also known as 14) which uses Ocean Grey vice Haze Grey. For both these measures, "all steel decks and all other horizontal steel surfaces exposed to aerial observation shall be painted either smooth dark gray deck type A or non-skid dark gray deck type B. All overheads and the undersides of all other external horizontal surfaces shall be painted glossy or base white".

In other words, just like a modern ship, except for details of the color shades and masting.
{Allan "battleships!" Plumb}

Try Alan Raven's Fletcher-Class Destroyers, available from the Naval Institute. There're four different camo schemes sketched, which show Port and starboard views, deck views, and sections showing mount & superstructure faces.
{J E Groves}

Two good refs.: Flush Decks & Four Pipes (a classic, now in 2nd edition, and probably available from USNI, Annapolis,MD) and The Destroyer Campbeltown, by Al Ross, one of the "Anatomy of the Ship" series from Conway Maritime Press / United States Naval Institute (depends on which continent you call home).

BTW, new and very excellent reference volume on Gearing/Sumner class DD's just published by USNI. Author is Bob Sumrall, one of the curators at the USNA Museum. Expensive book, but Nothing Else Even Comes Close!!! Lots of excellent photos, drawings, including color renditions. My Dad (departed now nearly 30 years) was Propulsion Systems Engineer for members of the class built by Consolidated - I have lots of original white-lines on the ships. Sumrall's book is as good as, if not better, than having all the original documentation, because he goes into as-built, as-employed details.
(RAIcorn824)

I was struck by how dark gray all the ships were. In most color photos, US warships seem to be painted light to medium gray. The color I saw was much darker. Floquil produces a line of Naval Colors and a close match seems to be Floquil 818652 Battleship Gray FS1640 (yes, 4 digits).
(Martin Sagara)

Nope, the right color is "haze gray", H-5. It probably looked darker because the weather in Norfolk is usually pretty lousy. Go to San Diego and you'll have a confirmation of what I'm saying.
(Paolo Pizzi)

Paolo is right...haze gray is very light, and to my eye, has no blue tones in it. I served on a San Diego Spruance, and a color photo of me conning it under the Golden Gate bridge is right in front of me...the haze gray is slightly darker than the radome grey, but definitely not a medium gray.

Besides, the same color on a model or miniature will look darker, so go with the H-5 Haze Grey. I do not recommend the Battleship gray - way too dark.
(Byron Bond)

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