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USS Truxtun CGN-35

USS Truxtun CGN-35

Commissioned in May of 1967, the USS Truxtun CGN-35 was a nuclear powered, single-ended guided missile cruiser. This ship was the only ship created in the Truxtun Class; which was based heavily on the Belknap class of ships. Unlike the Double-ended cruisers, the missile compliment on board was located aft on the ship only. The Truxtun was awarded seven battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation for service in the Vietnam War. Most of here career was regulated to duties surrounding WESTPAC in the Pacific throughout most of the 1970's and 80's. In 1991, the USS Truxtun was assigned to WESTPAC in the Middle East during the Gulf War. She was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Register in 1995 and later scrapped in 1999.

David's USS Truxtun

My latest commission brings us to the USS Truxtun CGN-35 by Iron Shipwrights. The Kit itself wasn’t bad (or that good either). The basic hull molding was fair with decent details, but missing portions of the upper bridge and lower weather deck which were not properly cast or included; I added them in with scrap photo etch.

The very prominent radar towers, the focal point of the ship were only basically represented in the kit. While the kit did include a photo etch fret with radar and some side railing; most was simply too thick to use. I substituted aftermarket photo etch for the railings. The actual configuration of the towers represented in the kit was not entirely accurate and did require additional scratch building to get closer to the original.

The kit did not include a decal sheet. The weakest part of the kit, however, was the instructions. A single black and white picture of the ship from a distance and a few very basic images were provided to attempt to show how to model the very complicated radar towers of this ship. Anyone attempting to realistically model this vessel will need to consult multiple other pictorial sources rather than rely upon theinstructions. Overall, the kit does provide the basics for the ship, but will require some additional work to get it looking more realistic.

Model Shipwrights would like to thank David Salvin for providing us with his photo feature of the USS Truxtun.