Our Mr Morrison is astute here (he usually is).
One advantage you will have is that USN upper surface painting has hard demarcation lines, which should hlep the painting.
That being said, you really need a ton of reference photos to know how various things are painted, as practice varied from ship to ship, despite USN regs to the contrary.
For eample, "quad forties" are meant, by regulations, to be painted to match the surrounding ship. So, they ought to have horizontals in Deck Blue and verticals in the appropriate gray. The barrels of the 40s are typically a dark gray (NATO Black works), and the springs are black. But, on some ships, the barrels were either deck or vertical color (or both, half & half) with the muzzle cones in dark gray. Somethings the entire mount was in vertical gray and none of it in deck color.
Oh, and one side of the ship might be different than the other (or if an item had been replaced due to battle damage or an update). So, you need good reference photos.
The 20mm Oerlikons are even less consistent. Base and shield are usually vertical color, wit hthe barrel a very dark gunmetal. But, not always. reference photos.
This is why ship modelers are often surrounded by various sticks covered in blutak holding sub-assmbled "bits."
Also be glad this is not an IJN ship, they has a mix of steel, wood, and linoleum decks (which were in a natural russet red-brown color). This can make "pagoda" masts a definite chore.
The build looks great, as learning curves go, you are on track.