The third of the three ship Indiana Class, Oregon and her sisters Indiana, BB-1 and Massachusetts, BB-2 were the first modern USN battleships designed to equal the fighting power of contemporary European designs. Their armament of four 13 inch and eight 8 inch guns were as powerful as any European design and her armor belt of 18 inch Harvey-nickel steel, running 2/3ds the length of the ship was also comparable to her European contemporaries. The weakness of the class was their low freeboard, small coal capacity which limited their endurance and only moderate speed. Even so, Oregon, the first battleship built on the Pacific coast at Union Iron Works in San Francisco, California, earned fame during the Spanish-American war for her 14,000 mile dash around Cape Horn to join the blockade of the Spanish squadron at Santiago, Cuba.  During the Battle of Santiago, she outraced the other battleships in chasing down Cervera's doomed squadron. 

This impressive 1/48th scale USS Oregon model resides in the San Francisco Maritime Museum and is on permanent loan from the US Navy.  The model's large scale permits for many interesting details and should make an excellent reference should you wish to super detail your USS Oregon model. 

One can hardly wish for a more beautiful location than that of the San Francisco Maritime Museum. Commanding magnificent views of San Francisco Bay from its location west of Fisherman's Wharf, the Maritime Museum is part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park. The museum portion of the park is open daily from 10AM - 5PM, and admission is free.  The WPA constructed building in which it resides is an outstanding example of 1930's art deco design, and impressive nautically-themed murals adorn its interior walls. Various historic ships are available for boarding at the Maritime Park, and the Liberty Ship SS Jeremiah O'Brien and WW2 fleet sub Pampanito are moored nearby.