by Ken Summa
1/350 USS Reuben James DD-245 (White Ensign Models)
The USS Reuben James (DD-245) was one of 273 flush-deck destroyers built for the U.S. Navy during and after World War I. The Reuben James was laid down 2 April 1919 by New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, New Jersey; launched 4 October 1919 and sponsored by Miss Helen Strauss; and commissioned 24 September 1920. Between 1920 and 1933, the Reuben James performed various peacetime duties in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Sailing for the Pacific from Norfolk, she arrived at her new homeport of San Diego on 9 November 1934. Following maneuvers that evaluated aircraft carriers, she returned to the Atlantic Fleet in January 1939. Upon the outbreak of war in Europe in September 1939, she joined the Neutrality Patrol, and guarded the Atlantic and Caribbean approaches to the American coast. In March 1941, Reuben James joined the convoy escort force established to promote the safe arrival of war materials to Britain. This escort force guarded convoys as far as Iceland, where they became the responsibility of British escorts. Based at Hvalfjord in Iceland, she sailed from Argentia, Newfoundland on 23 October 1941, with four other destroyers to escort eastbound convoy HX-156. While escorting that convoy, at about 0525 on 31 October 1941, the Reuben James was torpedoed by German submarine U-562. Her magazine exploded, and she sank quickly. Of the crew, 44 survived and 115 perished. The Reuben James was the first U.S. Navy ship sunk by hostile action in World War II.
The model was built from the White Ensign Models 1/350 kit. It is by far one of the best flush-decker kits on the market. The kit was a straight-forward build with no problems. The ship’s Ms. 2 camouflage pattern was painted using White Ensign Models’ line of Colorcoat enamel paints. I used the 5-L Light Grey, 5-O Ocean Grey, and 5-D Dark Grey for the vertical surfaces and 5-D for the decks. The line also includes Norfolk 65A Antifouling Red used for underwater hulls.
