HMS "Campbeltown" - British escort or diversionary destroyer

Escort destroyer HMS "Campbeltown" is US warship in 1940 handed over to Great Britain. Before the transfer, it was called USS "Buchanan". It was built in 1919 by the "Bath" Shipyard in Maine. As a Royal Navy ship, the destroyer escorted Allied convoys in the Atlantic. In 1941 it was loaned to the Dutch Navy. In this service he rescued the crew of the Norwegian tanker "Vinga" under attack by the Luftwaffe. In 1941 at the end of the year he returned to the Royal Navy. Here began the last spectacular chapter in the history of HMS "Campbeltown", related to the destruction of the then largest dry dock in St. Nazaire, France, which was a Kriegsmarine repair base. This dock allowed line ships to be refurbished and damaged, e.g. "Tirpitz", which posed a mortal threat to Allied convoys. Destroying the dock fixed this issue. The destroyer HMS "Campbeltown" was used for this. The ship was completely rebuilt: 3 tons of explosives were placed in the bow, detonators, that delayed the explosion for 2.5 hours, and the appearance of the ship was made similar to the German torpedo ships. In 1942 March 26 the ship with the commandos entered the protected port at night, the commandos started destroying the port facilities and the ship, sailing at full speed, hit the dock closing caisson. A group of German officers boarded the "Campbeltown" to inspect the impact site. Then an explosion occurred, permanently damaging the dock and killing the Germans on deck. The dock was not used until the end of the war. Interestingly, the British side, during the planning stage of the operation, proposed using the ORP "Burza" to attack the dock at St. Nazaire, but the Polish side was strictly against it.

Two models of HMS "Campbeltown" without the underwater part can be made from the publication: the 1941 appearance, when it served as an escort destroyer in the British Royal Navy, and the 1942 appearance, when it was used as a ship's ram. The models are not complicated - the details of each take up only one sheet, but the details themselves are quite small. Therefore, it will require the use of all Your diligence, patience and reserves of ability. Not recommended for beginners and modelers with little experience.