Reviewed by Timothy Dike
The USS Providence was completed as a Cleveland class light cruiser CL-82 in May 1945. After her shakedown cruise she was put to work training crews for the war effort. The war ended before she could see any action and following a few cruises to the Mediterranean and Caribbean she returned to Norfolk. She decommissioned at Boston  in June 1949, and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.

In 1957 she was converted Into Guided Missile Cruiser and reclassified CLG–6, (guided missile light cruiser). All of her WW2 era main armament was removed except for her number one triple 6" and one twin 5" turret that was moved to the spot vacated by the number two six mount. Her superstructure was extensively rebuilt into a new configuration that bore little resemblance to her original configuration except for the two funnels. A new twin missile launcher was added near the stern and the seaplane catapults gave way to a helo deck.

 Providence recommissioned 17 September 1959 and following shakedown joined the 7th Fleet. She alternated duty as flagship with her sister ship the USS Oklahoma City (CLG–5). In October she sailed for Saigon in South Vietnam. Later she would return and see her first action bombarding enemy shore positions around the DMZ and Da Nang. During the Tet offensive she helped take down an enemy strong point at Hue. 

She remained active into the early 70's and was finally decommissioned in Aug 1973 and sold for scrap seven years later.

This kit from Ship & Co. is their first release and is not quite as good as their newer ones. 
 
HULL
The hull on this kit is nicely shaped with much of the superstructure cast in place. The casting is pretty good overall with the exception of some spots on the hull near the stern. There are several areas that look like possible air bubbles below the surface. It looks like you can just sand these down smooth, or open them up and fill with putty. The deck planking looks pretty dramatic and should stand out on the finished model. The anchor chain is molded on and appears to stop on top of the deck rather than disappear into the anchor ways.  Click images
to enlarge
SUPERSTRUCTURE PARTS
The superstructure parts are well cast on resin runners similar to plastic sprues. This allows them to be molded with locator holes underneath and makes for easier cleanup. The detail is pretty good overall, with nice window frame detail. One of the superstructure parts appears to have not filled out in the mold and will need to be replaced.
 
MISCELLANEOUS PARTS
The various small parts include the ships boats, radar illuminators, davits, 5" gun turret and other fittings and fixtures. Overall detailing is pretty good and flash is typical for a resin kit.
PHOTOETCH
There are three photo etch frets with the lattice masts, railings, and radar's. Some relief etching is used on the parts such as fold lines for the masts and a grid paten on some of the platforms. 
The second fret includes the main radar antenna.
Strips of 3 bar rails are provided for the kit.
INSTRUCTIONS
The instructions are three pages with photos of the assembly process. Photos of the model with arrows but no notes showing the parts locations are provided.  These are barely adequate in my opinion. What is needed here are some clear line drawings, perhaps a plan and elevation view and some instructions for the photo etch.

Click the image above to view the USS Providence built by Christoph Mentzel 
Conclusions:
Ships & Co. products are produced in Italy and available direct from LaModellistica for € 85.00 or roughly $133.50 at the current exchange rate. This original release from Ships & Co. has a lot of potential, but will require some skill to fix the hull. Improvements need to be made to the casting and instructions to justify the price. After looking at models that others have built of this kit, I am wondering if I just need to get a new hull from the manufacturer. I will report back on their customer service.


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