USS Baltimore Heavy Cruiser CA-68 1943, 1:700 Scale Model Kit

• 229 Highly detailed plastic pieces molded in light gray
• Approximate dimensions: 11.7” L  x 1.27” W
• Glue and paint reqired (not included)
• Recommended for 12 years and above. 

USS Baltimore (CA-68) was the lead ship of her class of heavy cruiser, the fifth ship of the United States Navy named after the city of Baltimore, Maryland.

Laid down on 26 May 1941 at Bethlehem Steel Company's Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, she was launched on 28 July 1942, sponsored by the wife of Mayor of Baltimore Howard W. Jackson. The cruiser was commissioned on 15 April 1943 under the command of Captain Walter C. Calhoun.

Between November 1943 and June 1944 Baltimore was a unit of the fire support and covering forces at the Makin Islands landings (20 November – 4 December 1943); Kwajalein invasion (29 January – 8 February 1944), and the Truk raid (16–17 February) and Eniwetok seizure (17 February – 2 March). On the 17th, Lt. (j.g.) Denver M. Baxter, USNR, flying one of the heavy cruiser's Vought OS2U Kingfishers, covered by two Grumman F6F Hellcats, rescued Lt. (jg.) George M. Blair, USNR, of VF-9 less than 6,000 yards from Dublon Island inside Truk lagoon where he had ditched his flak crippled Hellcat.

Baltimore continued to provide fire support in the Marianas attacks (21–22 February), the Palau-Yap-Ulithi-Woleai raid (30 March – 1 April); the Hollandia (currently known as Jayapura) landing (21–24 April); the Truk-Satawan-Ponape raid (29 April – 1 May), air strikes against Marcus Island (19–20 May) and Wake Island (23 May), the Saipan invasion (11–24 June); and the Battle of the Philippine Sea (19–20 June).

Returning to the United States in July 1944, she embarked President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his party and steamed to Pearl Harbor. After meeting with Admiral Chester Nimitz and General Douglas MacArthur, the President was carried to Alaska where he departed Baltimore 9 August 1944.

Returning to the war zone in November 1944, she was assigned to the 3rd Fleet and participated in the attacks on Luzon (14–16 December 1944; and 6–7 January 1945); Formosa (3–4, 9, 15, and 21 January); the China coast (12 and 16 January); and Okinawa (22 January).

On 26 January she joined the 5th Fleet for her final operations of the war: Honshū Island attacks (16–17 February); Iwo Jima operation (19 February – 5 March); and the 5th Fleet raids in support of the Okinawa operation (18 March – 10 June).

This Trumpeter 1/700 Scale model is of the USS Baltimore in 1943. The model kit comes with 14 sprues plus lower hull, upper hull, decks and waterline plate and display stand. Either waterline version or full hull version can be selected.