Combrig Models
1/700 USS Eagle 56 (PE-56)


 
Reviewed June 2023
by Martin J Quinn
HISTORY
The Eagle-class patrol craft were anti-submarine vessels of the United States Navy that were built during World War I using mass production techniques. They were steel-hulled ships smaller than contemporary destroyers but having a greater operational radius than the wooden-hulled, 110-foot submarine chasers. The submarine chasers' range of about 900 miles restricted their operations to off-shore anti-submarine work and denied them an open-ocean escort capability; their high consumption of gasoline and limited fuel storage were handicaps the Eagle class sought to remedy.

The Eagle class (The term "Eagle Boat" stemmed from a wartime editorial in The Washington Post which called for "...an eagle to scour the seas and pounce upon and destroy every German submarine.") were originally commissioned USS Eagle Boat No.1 (or 2,3..etc.) but this was changed to PE-1 (or 2,4.. etc.) in 1920. They never officially saw combat in World War I, but some were used during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War, while PE-19, 27, 32, 38, 48 and 55–57 survived to be used in World War II.  Built using mass production techniques by Ford, the ships proved to be unpopular in service, due to their poor sea handling.

Eagle 56 was patrolling off the Delaware Capes in January 1942, and remained almost constantly at sea during the Battle of the Atlantic, during which Axis submarines attacked merchant shipping along the east coast of North America. When her depth charges were expended, a small ship from Cape May, New Jersey, would bring out a new supply.  In February, 1942, Eagle 56 rescued survivors of Jacob Jones off Cape May, then was damaged by collision with the submerged wreck of Gypsum Prince while rescuing survivors from the British freighter that had collided with the British tanker Voco on 4 March at the entrance to Delaware Bay.  Eagle 56 was repaired using parts from another Eagle boat, and then assigned to the Key West sonar school in May 1942.

In June 1944, Eagle 56 was assigned to Naval Air Station Brunswick (ME).  On April 23, 1945, while conducting training off Cape Elizabeth, Maine, the patrol boat suddenly exploded amidships, broke in two pieces, and sank.  Survivors claimed to have seen a German submarine, and the destroyer Selfridge, operating near Eagle 56, attacked a sonar contact in the area, shortly after Eagle 56's sinking.  However, a Navy board of inquiry concluded that Eagle 56 had suffered a boiler explosion.

In 2001, the Naval Historical Center reviewed the case and reclassified the sinking as a combat loss. In June of that same year, Purple Heart medals were awarded to three survivors and the next of kin of those killed.  Her wreck was found in 2019.  Links to additional wreck pages, and for further information on the Eagle boats, check out the following pages:

Eagle-Class Patrol Boats (Wiki)

The Eagle Boats of World War I (USNI Proceedings)

USS Eagle 42 (PE-42) (North Atlantic Dive Expeditions)

USS Eagle 56 (Wiki)

Wreck of the USS PE-56

Discovery of Eagle 56

The Combrig Eagle 56

Eagle 56 is packaged in a thin, white cardboard box, with a photo of an Eagle class patrol boat on the box top.  Inside the box is the hull ,and one bag containing four runners with the balance of the resin parts.  These are all secured in the box with enough foam to stuff a large recliner.

THE HULL 
The hull is waterline.   According to the measurements I found for Eagle 56, the hull scales out pretty much perfectly in both length and pretty close in beam.   As is typical of a Combrig kit, the hull is very well cast with lots of good detail.  There are hatches, skylights, W/T doors, chocks and bollards.  The strakes on the hull, as well as the solid walkways on the deck, are probably a bit over scale.  Hopefully they'll look better under a coat of paint.  There is also a wee bit of over pour on the bottom on the hull. 

RESIN PARTS
There are four resin runners in the kit. This is where you will find the funnel, searchlight platform, a winch, guns, boats, rafts, depth charges and other small parts.   All these smaller parts are excellent, the casting is just terrific, though some of the parts are incredibly small.  My only beef (once again), is that the runner are all co-mingled into one bag. I'd like to see these separated into at least two bags to protect the parts from possible breakage. 

PHOTOETCH
There is a fairly robust photo-etch set included.  This includes platforms, davits, rails, inclined ladders, awning braces, supports for the searchlight tower, a ships wheel and a plethora of devilishly small parts. 

There aren't any masts included with the kit.  As per usual Combrig practice, there are drawings showing dimensions of the masts and yards. 

INSTRUCTIONS
The instructions consist of six pages on double-sided pieces of paper.  They include a plan and profile view on page 1, a parts manifest, and exploded view diagrams for parts placement.  The diagrams are considerable larger than the actual model!

There are no color callouts provided.  An internet search didn't reveal any photos of Eagle 56 in wartime service, so if you decide to build her in her final configuration, you'll have to do some research.  There are pre-war photos showing her in typical US standard gray, with dark grey decks and the large, shaded hull numbers on the bow.  Being that there aren't any decals included, you'll have to source your own. 

CONCLUSIONS  
This is a sharp little kit.  "Little" being the operative word, coming in at less than 4 inches long.  Casting is very crisp, and it's got a very complete photo-etch set included.  While there is a surprisingly high parts and photo-etch count for such a small vessel, it probably won't take long for an experienced builder to complete.  I'm glad to see Combrig's instructions and packaging continue to improve.  I would like to see them break out the smaller parts, as much as possible, into separate bags, to avoid any potential breakage.  Recommend for more experienced modelers, due to the small parts and high PE count, or those who just like boats that are so ugly, they are cool. 

This is Combrig’s 1/700 USS Eagle 56, kit number 70665.  While I can find the kit available online, with the continuing conflict in Eastern Europe, you may have difficulty sourcing this kit in the near term.  Prices online range rom $42 and up. 

This is an in-box review.  While the model seems to compare favorably to photos and drawings found in books and online, your mileage may vary, once you commence construction.  Thanks to Combrig Models for the review sample.