USS Canberra CAG-2 model

Here are some pics of my scratchbuilt N scale guided missile cruiser USS Canberra. ints 5" wide and 50" long. built entirely of sheet styrene and home cast parts.









There are more in my RailImages album.

 

Nice job, Bill! That's a challenging ship.

 

Thanks Pete, I'm about 85% finished. I still need to scratchbuild masts, (4) twin 3"/50 gun mounts, missile radars, lifeboats, and a few other odds and ends. It's really been a lot of fun and new ship building challenges to conquer. I'm really pleased with my homecast 5"/38 twin gun turrets.

 

Very cool ship! Can we see a picture of the whole thing?

You know, you could probably go into business selling those gun turrets... They'd be just perfect for everything from Essex class carriers on down to Barton/Gearing class DDs, and everything in between.

By the way, did you start with an original set of plans, or take photos and measurements from the prototype, or scale up a Revell model, or what? And why did you pick that particular ship?

 

Hi Robert.

I used a set of plans that I blew up on our engineering copier at work to 1/160 scale. I remember seeing Canberra in mothballs at Bremerton Washington in 1976, and have always like her looks and her sister shp Boston. I had the old Revell kit of her when I was a kid. I love the early guided missile cruisers. They were modernised but for the most part kept a lot of their WWII styling, except, Columbus, Chicago, and Albany. I'll try and get a picture of the whole ship as it is tonight. It's rather large and hard to get a very detailed picture of it in one photo.

 

Bill:

You've done a wonderful job on that ship. Thanks for sharing the photo's.

Stay cool and run steam......

 

Thanks Bob, it's been a nice break from laying track and wiring. Here are a few pics of it overall, with my model of the destroyer USS Laffey for scale.

 

Bill:

You have quite a talent for building ship models.:thumbs_up:

Stay cool and run steam....

 

Bill;

All I can say is "WOW!!" Excellent work!

From my early Navy years (1960-1969) I remember USS Canberra (CAG-2) and her "twin" sister USS Boston (CAG-1). USS Laffey (DD-724) I have also seen more than a few times.

Revel Models long ago listed USS Canberra as one their model ships. When I was in Sasebo, Japan, there was a small Mom&Pop restaurant me and a buddy love to go for dinner, etc. All around their walls were models of U.S. Navy ships; but no cruisers, of any kind. Long story short, I found a Revel model of USS Canberra and after I completed it, it found its way onto that shelf. But the model I put together and painted wasn't even close to the work you've done with yours.

For those who may be interested in "prototype" photos check these out on the following link:

http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/04070.htm

I know, I KNOW - these are not trains! But I thought with these photo's people can compare and see how good Bill's work REALLY IS! :teeth:

 

WOW man that is completely kit bashed? that is amazing, how long did that take you!

 

Siggi:

The ship is made entirely out of Evergreen sheet plastic and rod. it's taken about a month and a half so far. GNFA310, thanks for the great comments. Naval history and ship models have been a second passion of mine since I was about 5 years old.

 

That is sick!!!!! ...in a good way! Only a month and a half so far??? Amazing!

 

You know, building a model of a ship yard could be a great industry for a model railroad. Think of all the thousands of tons of steel, copper wire, turbines, AA guns, you-name-it, that would have to be shipped in by rail. You'd have hundreds of carloads a week - gondolas with steel plate, flat cars with 100'-long prop shafts, etc. What a wonderful switching layout that would be!

AND, you'd have a great excuse to show off all kinds of ships in various stages of construction on the ways or fitting out. Let's see, now... an Essex class CV would be about 5-1/2 feet long in N scale...

 

You mean something like this? I was just starting the scene when this photo was taken.

 

That's a nice start, but eventually it might grow to look something like this:

www.destroyerhistory.org/.../newportnews_02.jpg
www.destroyerhistory.org/.../newportnews_03.jpg

My favorite shipyard is (what else?) Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. Like many larger industries, NNSD had its own switching locomotives, like this 45 ton Whitcomb:

www.northeast.railfan.net/images/tr_nnsd58257.jpg

 

Sorry, those links didn't work. Try this:

http://www.destroyerhistory.org/destroyers/newportnews_02.jpg
http://www.destroyerhistory.org/destroyers/newportnews_03.jpg

 

Shock and Awe... in model form... FABULOUS!!!

 

Thanks for the nice comments folks. Pete has been a tremendous inspiration for me to try and build these ships.