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| Model Competition Display - USS Zellars DD-777 FRAM II By Model Shipwright - Navarone (Don) | ||||||||
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Year or period represented: 1961-63 History: The Zellars was laid down December of 1943 at the Tod-Pacific Shipyards and commissioned October 1944. Served during WWII and while on picket duty for Tennessee BB-43 she was hit by 1 of 3 Kamikazes. She also served during the Korean war and in late 1959 put into Norfolk Shipyards for her FRAM refit. Took part in the 1962 Cuban quarantine. The Zellars was decommissioned in March of 1971 and struck from Navy list. She was commissioned into the Iranian Navy in 1973. Her fate is unknown but is believed to have been scraped. The Zellars earned 1 battle star during World War II, and 4 battle stars during the Korean War. Scale and / or dimensions: Scale: 1/192, L.O.A: 23.75 inches, Beam: 2.75 inches, Height: 8.0 inches Construction method / materials used: POB method for constructing the hull. The basic materials include basswood for hull sections, planking, deck and superstructure. Plywood (keel), scrap lumber for smoke stacks, brass for fittings and styrene for bulwarks. Dry transfer decals for the ships numbers, auto pin stripe to mark water line. Additional information: All the fittings except for stanchions, anchor chain and chocks were hand made. The gun turrets and gun director can be positioned by hand to swing port or starboard. The gun barrels can be raised in the same fashion as well as the p/s 3 tiered torpedo tubes. The bridge windows are taller in height then actual scale, giving model a more distinctive look. Research: The model is based on BOGP (Booklet of General Plans) of USS Laffey DD-724 and BOGP of USS Allan Sumner DD-692 along with numerous historical photos including photos of the USS Laffey stationed at Patriots Point Naval Museum. Additional reference materials include Sumner-Gearing Class Destroyers by Robert Sumrall, Sumner-Gearing Class of WWII by Tom Walkowiak, USS Zellars by Art Barnes and personal interviews with Ralph E. Howe, Boatswains Mate E3 (1961-1963).
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