By Dave Becker
1/350 USS Carina AK-74 (Trumpeter)
Kit is the Trumpeter 1/350 S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien Liberty Ship. I built the kit as the USN Cargo ship AK-74 USS Carina as she was when first commissioned in 1942. Carina left San Francisco on 14 December 1942 laden with cargo for Espiritu Santo and Guadalcanal. Here she discharged cargo between 23 January 1943 and 4 February, bringing invaluable support to the last phases of the bitter campaign for that island. Operating to aid in the consolidation of the southern Solomons, she sailed between Espiritu Santo and Purvis Bay, Tagoma Point, and Tongatabu. On 3 March, while unloading in Tulagi Harbor, she underwent two air attacks. Several near misses were scored, spraying the ship with shrapnel and wounding six of her crew. Carina's career continued in this manner for the rest of WW-2.
Carina received three battle stars for World War II service.
Trumpeter kits are getting better and better, this kit is darn near perfect. Very straight forward kit to build out of the box, I used Tom's Modelworks Liberty Ship P.E. set and a few odds and ends from other kits. Deck cargo was made from anything handy. Used two B-25's that were left over from the Hornet kit and two LCVP's that were extra from the ISW USS Lloyd kit as part of the deck cargo.
