I remember the Hancock, Ticonderoga, Oriskany specifically while I was homeported in Alameda, CA. I know there were a few others ( Bon Homme Richard and Shangri La) there as well. The Lexington was used as a training carrier during this time frame, too. |
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The problem with an "Essex class" Vietnam era kit, is which "one" do you choose. Hancock, Ticonderoga, Oriskany, and Shangri La, were all "long hulls" the Bon Homme Richard was a short hull, as was the Essex, Yorktown, Intrepid, Hornet, Franklin, Lexington, Bunker Hill, Wasp, and Bennington. There are distinctive differences between the two. A Vietnam era "Essex" will also have SCB-144 (part of FRAM) which added SQS-23 bow-mounted sonar dome, and a stem hawsepipe, and bow anchor. This was completed by 1965.
The rest of the long hulls were, Randolph, Boxer, Leyte, Kearsarge, Antietam, Princeton, Lake Champlaine, Tarawa, Valley Forge, and Phillipine Sea. The difference in overall length was 16', the waterline length was the same for all.
One of the changes, done in SCB-27C increased the 101' waterline beam (hull blisters added in SCB-27A when side armor belt was removed) to 103' with a revised hull blister. This is a problem for me, converting my 1/700 USS Randolph from CV-15 to CVS-15. I don't know exactly where the blister starts, and ends. It's not clear in most of the photos.