DE-635, a Buckley-class destroyer escort, was named in honor of Ensign John C. England, who was killed in action aboard the USS Oklahoma during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor . USS England was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for sinking six Japanese subs in twelve days in June of 1944. My references for building this kit come from the public domain, with special help from the website of the USS Slater, site of the Destroyer Escort Historical Museum in Albany , New York . The Trumpeter kit captures most of the structure of the ship, and it includes a few photo etched pieces which help provide details. However, when the bridge structure is assembled, it has seams where there should be none, and the whole interior of the “flying” bridge is empty space. Here is where the shipboard photos of the USS Slater came in handy. I was able to replicate the windscreen and interior to my liking. Plus, I added plastic and photo- etched pieces to the main guns, to give them a better look than the one-piece units provided in the kit. The colors might be a little off but I think the model shows what a DE was like.  If you’ve built any 1/350 class destroyers, you will enjoy displaying this one amongst them for comparison.

Chuck Bauer

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