by Fred Koster
1/400 S.S. Ideal X (Revell Germany)
50 years ago, 26 April 1956, the S.S. Ideal X sailed from Port Newark to Houston. This is considered to be the first scheduled voyage of a container ship. Ideal X was a T-2 tanker with a spar deck built above the cargo piping to hold the 58 new containers. She was still capable of carrying bulk petroleum cargo as well. She was owned by Pan Atlantic Steamship Lines, later renamed Sea-Land Services.
The Revell 'Glasgow' T-2 kit was modified with Tom's Modelworks 1/400 PE set. The spar deck was built from styrene stock and the containers are basswood.
