| The Iron
Shipwright 1:350 scale
USS Tennessee is a two-piece full
hull model depicting the ship in its 1944 fit. One of two
Tennessee class battleships (the other was
California),
Tennessee survived Pearl Harbor with minor damage, unlike
California which was was sunk. California was
refloated and both ships subsequently underwent a radical
overhaul. They were rebuilt from the deck up, and gained so
much extra beam (16 feet) they could no longer transit the
Panama Canal. The Iron Shipwright kit depicts Tennessee
in its post-rebuild form, so if you are looking for an early
war, cage-masted Tennessee, this kit is not for you.
The rebuilt Tennessee class somewhat resembled South
Dakota class ships. They had a central citadel crowded
with 40mm, 20mm and 5" gun armament and lost the 1920s "look"
characteristic of the battle fleet at Pearl.
The Iron Shipwright kit can be built either as a post-rebuild
(1944) Tennessee or California. And the
modeler also has the option of constructing a
USS West Virginia
(1944). The West Virginia, sunk at Pearl, was also
raised and radically rebuilt. The end result was a battleship
identical to the new Tennessee class except for main
armament and a few 20mm mounts. The kit includes both the 14"
triple turrets of the Tennessee class and West
Virginia's 16" twin turrets.
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