¹⁄700

USS-Hughes, DD-410, circa 1942

"Bob Cicconi sends us an image gallery of his latest build, Niko models USS-Hughes, DD-410, circa 1942. "

The Model

1/700 scale, Niko Models USS-Hughes, DD-410, circa 1942
"It was built virtually out of the box, with the exceptions of using Gold Medal's Ultra Gold railings, and Paper Lab 5"/38 guns for all the mounts except the fourth mount, which has a canvas cover on it.

It was a great kit and easy to build! There were one or two minor inaccuracies which were easily corrected, by looking at photos of the actual ship. For instance, the model has two lifeboats, whereas the photos of the Hughes in 1942 show only a starboard boat.

I would also like to thank John Sekas who turned me on to the company that sells the ultra-fine fly fishing line that I used for the rigging. It's a lot closer to the correct scale, and comes in black. I really enjoyed this departure from my usual pre-dreads and hope to build more of the Niko kits in my stash very soon!"

Vessel History

USS Hughes, a 1570-ton Sims class destroyer, was built at Bath, Maine. Commissioned in September 1939, she was stationed in the Atlantic area prior to the U.S. entry into World War II, operating on training operations, Neutrality Patrols and, during the last part of 1941, "short of war" convoy escort duties in the north Atlantic. Soon after the Pearl Harbor attack, Hughes was transferred to the Pacific, arriving there in late December 1941.

For much of the first part of 1942, Hughes served with the aircraft carrier Yorktown. Though she was absent during the Battle of the Coral Sea in early May, she accompanied Yorktown in the Battle of Midway a month later, stood by the disabled carrier after she had been hit and abandoned, and was present when she sank on 7 June. During much of the Guadalcanal campaign that began in August 1942, Hughes worked with the carriers Hornet and Enterprise, taking part in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in late October and the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in mid-November 1942.

Hughes left the south Pacific in early 1943 and was sent to the Aleutians. She took part in two bombardments of Kiska Island during July and remained in that northern area until late August. Her next combat operation was the Gilberts invasion, during which she rescued many survivors of the escort carrier Liscombe Bay, sunk off Makin Atoll on 24 November 1943. In January-April 1944, Hughes continued to serve with escort carriers during the amphibious assaults on the Marshall Islands and Hollandia, New Guinea. Continuing operations off New Guinea until mid-September, she supported several more amphibious operations and escorted convoys.

In October 1944, Hughes took part in the invasion of Leyte and subsequent operations in support of the Leyte campaign. While participating in the Ormoc Bay landings in December 1944, she was badly damaged by a Japanese suicide plane and had to return to the United States for repairs. This work was completed in June 1945, and Hughes received a second assignment to the Aleutians, where she remained until fighting ended in August. She was briefly employed on patrol duties off northern Japan until mid-October. Her last active service as as part of the target group during the Bikini Atomic Tests in July 1946. Decommissioned a month later, USS Hughes was sunk as a target in October 1948.