Hello, all! It's been quite a few years since I was last here, but I return with a new account and a completely new scratch build. The CA-160
USS Manhattan, the first of its class and a conceptual "what-if" design. A bit of history is at hand:
The CA-160 project was started early in the post-war era as a gunfire support warship, carrier escort and enemy cruiser hunter. While the threat of the Soviet large-gun cruisers was never realized, the CA-160 Class was approved and the first of its class,
USS Manhattan, was commissioned in 1957. Eight cruisers were ordered, but only five entered service with the final three being cancelled before construction began. Those five spent their lives just like the
Iowa-class, reactivated during times of conflict and mothballed during times of peace.
To save on costs, the CA-160 would use slightly-modified armaments of active warships. The primary armament was a series of eighteen 203mm MK16 guns in triple mounts that were identical to those mounted in the
Des Moines-Class. During its design, the secondary armament started with the MK30 127mm guns, but were later changed to the MK42. Twelve quad-40mm Bofors mounts rounded out its anti-aircraft armament, but those would be removed only a few years after entering services as they soon proved inadequate against modern aircraft. As for its own aircraft, the helicopter was now in full use around the world, and a hangar capable of storing and servicing up to four helicopters was placed amidships.
Early in the 1980s funding was put towards modernizing these cruisers. The first change was to remove turret four and replace it with a 96-cell MK41 VLS. Just forward of the hangar, where previously existed several Bofors tubs, now were four MK-143 ABL mounts, two aside. Close-range defense was provided by two Phalanx CIWS mounts. CA-163 would receive additional upgrades, with a large chunk of the aft superstructure removed to make way for an experimental AEGIS refit. It would be the only ship to receive this upgrade, as it proved too costly for the benefits.
These ships would be pulled from service between 1997-2003, remaining once again in mothballs until 2021 as conflicts in the Middle East and Europe began to flare up. While somewhat dated, the sheer firepower that these cruisers could provide ended up being the deciding factor.
This build is to represent one of these cruisers as it would have appeared during the current day. It is in 1/700 scale, measuring about 31cm in length.
Cheers, all!
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