Dragon 1:700 U.S.S. San Diego CL-53

USS San Diego (CL-53) was an American light cruiser of the Second World War. The keel for this unit was laid in 1940, the launch took place in July 1941, and commissioning for service in the US Navy - in 1942. The total length of the ship was 165 meters and a width of 16 meters. Full displacement reached about 8,400 tons, and maximum speed - up to 32.5 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was, among others: 16 127 mm guns in eight turrets of two cannons, 16 28 mm anti-aircraft cannons and 8 533 mm torpedo tubes.

USS San Diego (CL-53) was one of the Atlanta-class cruisers. Units of this type were designed and built as specialized anti-aircraft cruisers, the main purpose of which was to provide cover for their own ships' teams against enemy air attacks. Due to the very strong anti-aircraft armament, the Atlanta-type units had limited ability to combat surface and underwater targets. However, they turned out to be very successful ships, fulfilling their role well. One of the ships of this class was the USS San Diego (CL-53), which was built at the shipyard Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation in Quincy, Massachusetts. The unit, shortly after entering service, was directed to the Pacific. In November 1942, she took part in the naval battle near Guadalcanal, and later served in the Solomon Islands area until the beginning of 1943. In November this year, the cruiser took part in a very successful rally for the US Navy to the Japanese naval base in Rabaul, and in December USS San Diego was sent to San Francisco, where it was renovated and modernized. In 1944, the unit took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and supported the US Marines' landings on the islands of Tinian and Guam. In 1945, the cruiser supported American operations in the Okinawa area. The unit was decommissioned in 1946.