Ship review

Reviewed by Timothy Dike
July 2013

USS Thresher, lead ship of a class of 3700-ton nuclear-powered attack submarines, was built at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine. Commissioned in August 1961, she conducted lengthy trials in the western Atlantic and Caribbean areas in 1961 and 1962, providing a thorough evaluation of her many new technological features and weapons. After the completion of these test operations, Thresher returned to her builders for overhaul.

On 10 April 1963, after the completion of this work, Thresher began post-overhaul trials. Accompanied by the submarine rescue ship Skylark (ASR-20), she transited to an area some 220 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and started deep-diving tests. As these proceeded, garbled communications were received by Skylark, indicating trouble aboard the submarine. It gradually became apparent that she had sunk, taking the lives of 129 officers, crewmen and civilian technicians.

After an extensive underwater search utilizing the bathyscaph Trieste, oceanographic ship Mizar, and other ships, Thresher's shattered remains were located on the sea floor, some 8400 feet below the surface. Deep sea photography, recovered artifacts and an evaluation of her design and operations permitted a Court of Inquiry to determine that she had probably sunk due to a piping failure, subsequent loss of power and inability to blow ballast tanks rapidly enough to avoid sinking. Over the next several years, a massive program was undertaken to correct design and construction problems on the Navy's existing nuclear submarines, and on those under construction and in planning. Following completion of this "SubSafe" effort, the Navy has suffered no further losses of the kind that so tragically ended Thresher's brief service career.

From the US Navy History and Heritage page.

OKB Grigorov already produces just about ever modern submarines known to man, so why not one as famous as the Thresher. While not new, it is certainly worth a look as it is very accurate and detailed.

RESIN PARTS

The hull is cast as one solid part with much of the sail and rudder and tail planes. Casting is crisp and clean and detail is nicely done. The hull is connected to the resin runner (sprue) along the keel and will require very little cleanup to remove any traces of it.

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The sail planes and propeller cone are the only separate resin parts making for a very simple assembly.

PHOTO ETCH

A propeller is he only PE part included in kit. The blades are to be twisted to shape by the modeler and attached the the prop shaft.

INSTRUCTIONS

Instructions are a single page with an exploded view showing where the parts go. Pretty basic, but self explanatory and all that's really needed for this simple kit.

CONCLUSIONS

OKB continues to expand their coverage of 1/700 scale modern submarines, this nicely detailed Thresher is yet another piece of the puzzle. If you collect modern warships and/or subs , you need to add this one to your collection.

This is kit # 08700005 USS Thresher class submarine with a list of 11.7 EUR. Freetime Hobbies has it listed for $16.95 now. Check out the complete line of modern subs on the OKB Grigorov site.