by Paul Helfrich
1/700 USS Antietam CV-36 (Dragon)
The USS Antietam was one of the 24 Essex-class carriers built for the US Navy. She commissioned in January 1945 and missed active service in WWII. Like the other Essex carriers, she started out with the “CV” or fleet carrier designation, but was re-designated as a CVA or attack carrier in the 1950s, then finally as an antisubmarine warfare carrier or CVS. She was decommissioned in 1963 and scrapped in 1974.
The Antietam was the first Essex-class carrier to be modified (in 1952) to have an angled deck on her port side. This was originally supported by an open framework that was later faired over by a closed sponson. Other than the angled deck and radar mast, Antietam received few other modernizations, and retained many WWII era weapons (like most of her 5”38s and 40mm quads) throughout her career. She thus presents an interesting transitional appearance for the Essex class not previously represented in styrene kit form.
Dragon's recent kit gives the modeler a choice between a 1953 version (with the open framework supports for the angled deck, and a WWII style mast) and a 1956 version (with the deck supports faired over and a modernized radar mast). I went with the 1956 version.
Dragon shows the open radio masts (four of them) on the starboard side of the flight deck for both the 1953 and 1956 editions. I'm not sure that's right I couldn't spot these masts in any photos oof the Antietam in the post-WWII era. I put them on anyway (mostly as a rare example of PE that I actually folded successfully). I added railings and ladders from the GMM US WWII aircraft carrier set.
The other big accuracy issue and I know, I really ought to start doing my research BEFOREE beginning the build is I'm not sure the blue flight deckk is right for 1956. Sometime in the 1950s the Antietam went from a WWII style blue flight deck to a more modern gray color. Dragon's instructions aren't much help in this area (calling for “intermediate blue” for both versions). By the time I noticed this, I had already sprayed a nice coat of weather deck blue on the flight deck, so I just went with that.
Like all the new Dragon kits, you have so many parts left over after you're done, it's hard to believe you actually built a model. Great additions to the spares box I got a number of things I'm pplanning to use on a Hasegawa Yorktown CV-10 I've had sitting around for a while.
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