Reviewed by Martin J Quinn
February 2026

According to the website NavWeaps: "This was unquestionably the finest Dual Purpose gun of World War II. Originally designed to arm new destroyers being built in the 1930s, the 5"/38 (12.7 cm) wound up being used on nearly every major US warship built between 1934 and 1948 and was still being used on new construction as late as the 1960s. It was also used on many auxiliaries, merchant vessels and smaller warships as well as on US Coast Guard vessels. This standardization, unique in any navy, greatly helped the logistical supply situation of the Pacific War.

These guns were hand-loaded, but power-rammed, which gave them a high rate of fire and a capability of being easily loaded at any angle of elevation, both of which are highly desirable qualities for an anti-aircraft weapon. The introduction of proximity-fuzed AA shells in 1943 made this weapon an even more potent AAA gun.

The earliest mountings as used on USS Farragut (DD-348) were pedestal mounts with the ammunition supply points located in the fixed structure behind the gun mounts. However, starting with USS Gridley (DD-380), a new base-ring mounting with integral shell hoists on the axis of the mount was introduced. This type of mounting meant that shells and cartridges could be passed directly to the gun's breech at any angle of train, thus significantly improving the practical rate of fire. Most subsequent designs, including all twin mountings, were similar, although simpler base ring mounts lacking hoists were introduced in 1943 for use on auxiliary vessels and escort carriers." 

Wikipedia gives a breakdown of the gun and it's different marks here.  The Mk32 was used on refitted US Battleships like West Virginia, Tennessee, California and Pennsylvania.

Overall, these mounts are pretty simple.  There are sighting and telescope hoods and a gun captains blast hood, as well as doors and hatches that a very subtlety done.  There are no rungs or ladders, as seen in some drawings and photos. 

The gun barrels come in two types.  One set has the simple shield, the other appears to have blast bags. The choice of both options is a nice touch. 

With five turrets in the set, this will either fit an Essex class carrier - with a spare - or one half of a refit battleship. 

This is Gold Medal Models 1/350 1/350 USN Mk32 5"/38 Refit Battleship Turrets, set GM3D350056.  Retail price for the set is $18.99.  That works out to about $3.80 per turret, which is about half the price of turrets produced by other manufacturers.  These are available directly from Squadron Hobbies - who I'd like to thank for this review sample.  Recommended!