YC 760 Open Lighter

The YC 760 was an open lighter of the YC 255 class, laid down at J. Russell Engineering Works in 1941, and delivered to Boston Naval Yard 1 June 1942. She was 110' long, 35' wide and had an 8' draft. Service records for such vessels are difficult to find as the day to day routine of an open, non self propelled steel lighter doesn't seem to convey any sort of importance or grandeur, but such vessels were what day to day naval operations ran on. They could carry almost anything, or be converted topside for oil storage or have cranes, derricks or workshops constructed aboard. The fact that the YC 760 remained in service for over 50 years, not being disposed of until 1995, is a testament to it's usefulness. A photograph found at www.navsource.org shows her dockside, with trucks in the background from what would appear to be the late 80's or early 90's.

Lion Roar YC 760 Open Lighter

Lion Roar has produced a resin and photoetch set in 1:700 scale of the YC 760 open lighter. There are two kits in the box, but as there were a large number of lighters of this type constructed from the 1920's through WWII, and no decals or markings are included to specifically identify the vessels as the YC 760, it can be used for most any Naval Yard setting.

The set comes in a small, end opening box with a photograph of the two completed kits on the front of the box. The contents of the box are well protected, with the two resin lighter hulls in plastic sleeves tucked in plastic bubble wrap. The molding on the resin hulls was very crisp, with no visible need for clean up and no flaws present. Both hulls are waterline versions with side hull ridge detail and bitts located on the deck ends.

The photoetch fret is slipped into the folded instructions and is further protected by a plastic adhesive covering. The etch fret consists of two wall sections attached to an inner floor that will simplify construction. The tricky part with this kit will be the small angle pieces that support the walls on the outside edge. The wall sections have tiny slots to help with placement of the support pieces.

Instructions are provided on a single sheet of paper as line drawings. They are simple and clear.

Conclusion

This is an excellent detail set that will enhance any Naval shipyard diorama. The parts are very well made and simple. The main challenge with this kit will be getting the brace parts in place as they are fairly small. Because of that issue this is a kit for more advanced or patient modelers.

I searched online and found prices for this kit ranging from $8.29 US with free shipping to $21.00 US, not including shipping.