BuAer was the department that handled the vast majority of photos that ended up in 80-G. They censored with Paasche H or Paasche AB airbrushes and inks on the prints. Easy to spot on the original print, if scanned at high enough resolution you can usually see it for electronic photos.
If you see what looks like censoring on the negative, which will be areas scratched out, the censoring was not done by BuAer and it is not very common on Navy photos.
But did not censors block out hull numbers and radars on photos? And to what purpose would a ship block out its bow hull number (even though rather small during WW2) if other ships had hull numbers. Were there not regulations?
Can confirm Feb. '44 no hull number. Aug. '42 hull number. Nov./Dec. '42 no hull number.
This is not unusual, there are long periods BB-46 Maryland did not display a hull number and at times only a stern hull number. Like everything else when modeling specific ships at specific times photos are your best guide.
From photos it seems after 1942 she never has hull numbers painted on her. Can anyone confirm or correct me ?
Rob
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