1/96 USS Clarion River LSMR-409 (Scratchbuilt)
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by John MacKay |
1/96 USS Clarion River LSMR-409 (Scratchbuilt)
This is the USS Clarion River (LSMR-409) as she appeared in the late 1960s supporting the war in Viet Nam. The Clarion River was originally commissioned as the LSM(R)-409 in 1945 and was going to be used in the amphibious invasion of Japan, but the war ended with the atomic bombings. With the end of WW2, she was decommissioned but brought back into commissioning for the Korean War. In 1955, she was named the Clarion River. She was decommissioned after service in the Korean War and brought back into service for Viet Nam. Just before her final decommissioning in 1970, she was redesignated USS Clarion River LFR-409, where LFR indicated Inshore Fire Support. The hull of the model is a plywood frame with balsa sheeting, overlaid with sheet styrene. Sheet styrene and styrene tubing were used to construct the superstructure and major topside components. The majority of the topside fittings, such as the Mk 102 launchers, the 5 inch gun turret, chocks, bitts, hatches, and watertight doors are homemade resin castings. The 5 inch gun tube is from B & D. The 40mm guns, and Mk 51 and Mk 52 gun directors are from John Haynes. The decals are homemade. The water is medium acrylic gel over a Payne's Gray base and then painted with various hues of blue, green and white acrylic.I've met up with the former crewmembers of the Clarion River through my association with LSM and LSMR veterans. They've kinda adopted me as an honorary member of their group, so I built the model a couple years ago to take along for display at their reunions. After the 2015 reunion, I sold the model to a friend of mine who served aboard her as a Gunner's Mate in the late 1960s. To personalize the model, I added a figure in a fire suit to the port bow, tossing a dud rocket over the railing. I also added a Clarion River challenge coin to the base. The photo of the model in a display case was taken at the 2016 reunion of the USS Clarion River.
