Naval ship hull colours 5H & 5N - are deck colours always blue?

[bootneck]

I am currently converting a Liberty Ship kit to a Royal Navy repair ship of the Xanthus class as in 1945. The few images available show HMS Assistance and HMS Diligence in a sort of measure 22 (5H and 5N); however, one ship served in home (UK) waters and the other in the far east theatre. My question is: would the deck be painted blue (20B) for both these vessels, considering their different operating areas?

Mike

[Seahawk]

Yes.

The key thing is that they are in Measure 22, which specifies Deck Blue 20B for all horizontal surfaces or surfaces visible from directly overhead, regardless of where the ship is deployed. That's should have been the case for the ships as delivered to the USN. What the RN may have done after transfer to them is another matter but by that stage in the war I imagine that was very little.

Stop press: have just found a photo of HMS Assistance (p.330 of Warships of WW2, Lenton and Colledge, Ian Allen, 1973). There she is painted not in Measure 22 but in what might be considered the RN equivalent of it: overall grey with a blue panel on the hull. Colours for this would probably have been British G45 grey with B20 panel. But I'd still expect the decks to have remained in Deck Blue.

Edited August 18, 2016 by Seahawk

[Graham Boak]

The photo does not show a USN Measure 22, but the more-or-less standard late war Admiralty scheme of light grey hull and upperworks with a (probably, judging from the photo) dark blue panel. The colour of the panel did vary.

Whether the deck will have been repainted is another matter.

[bootneck]

Thanks Seahawk and Graham. The fact that those knowledgeable cannot confirm any changes to the deck colours helps me to be less concerned on the finish. If the hull has been repainted to Admiralty standards then I shall probably go with a grey deck.

Thanks again

Mike

[John @ WEM]

The fact that they repainted to Admiralty Standard camouflage strongly suggests to me that they would have repainted the decks in accordance with that camo scheme, in this case from 20-B Deck Blue to G.10 grey.