Nautical Research Journal 331


1. All photographs by the author unless otherwise indicated. T e heav y cruiser


USS San Francisco CA-38 By Chuck Bauer


The heavy cruiser USS San Francisco was commissioned in 1934 and went on to become one of the most famous cruisers in the history of the United States Navy. Perhaps its most famous experiences are from the early years of America’s involvement in World War II. In the fi rst naval battle of Guadalcanal the cruiser led outgunned and inexperienced United States naval forces against the Japanese. During the night and early morning of November 12-13, 1942, the two fl eets almost ran into each other and, in the confusion, a furious, short-range gun battle ensued. San Francisco was hit an astonishing total of forty- fi ve times. When the bridge was hit, the commanding offi cer, Captain Cassin Young, and Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan both were killed. Lieutenant Commander Bruce McCandless took command and earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for his subsequent actions. Thus, San Francisco survived the battle and went on to win seventeen battle stars during World War II, becoming one of the most decorated ships of


the confl ict. In 1947, after thirteen years of service, San Francisco was decommissioned, but was held in reserve until 1959, when the cruiser fi nally was struck from the Naval Register and scrapped.


Several resin and plastic injection model kits of San Francisco have been produced, including two 1:350-scale plastic versions. These two kits allow modelers to build CA-38 as fi tted either in 1942 or 1944.


Many years ago I purchased Trumpeter’s 1942 kit. The intent was to build the model and thus complete my collection of 1:350-scale United States Navy ships. At the same time, I purchased Lester Abbey’s fi ne Shipcraft publication, New Orleans Class Cruisers, and Yankee Modelworks’s USS San Francisco photo- etched fret. About four years ago I opened the book, jumped into the internet, and discovered multiple terrifi c models of San Francisco as in 1942. But I also discovered Gary Kingzett’s magnifi cent scratch-built 1936 version, completed over a decade previously. Fellow modeler Dan Kaplan introduced me to Mr. Kingzett, who showed me what he had encountered when he did the research on his model. His comments


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