Commissioned on July 25 1940, the USS Benson was in time to see extended combat during WW2. The USS Benson (DD-421), the only ship of this name in the US Navy thus far, was the lead ship in a class of destroyers. Before the USA entered the war, the vessel was escorting convoys to and from Iceland. Subsequent to the events of Pearl Harbor, it was again escorting convoys, this time to the UK. An at-sea collision prevented its participation in the landings in North Africa, although it did support the later invasion of Sicily and the landings at Salerno. In 1944 it was fully engaged in convoy duties in the Mediterranean, and succeeded in shooting down several German aircraft. It also supported the invasion of southern France. The final weeks of WW2 were spent in the Pacific. Its valorous WW2 service earned the ship four battle stars.

The USS Benson now appears in Dragon’s 1:350 Sea Power series as a plastic kit. The kit depicts the destroyer as it appeared in 1945 towards the close of the war. As such it features a brand new aft deckhouse and a new director radar dish. Unlike other vessels in the Benson class, it also possesses a second torpedo launcher. The kit is finely detailed thanks to photo-etched elements to render items like antennas, ladders, antiaircraft guns and propeller guards. Some door hatches are even provided as optional parts so that modelers can portray open doors! There are other accessories like half a dozen scale crewmen to populate the deck, as well as Dragon’s novel, flexible self-adhesive signal flags. This 1:350 scale kit of the USS Benson is brimming with detail, and it is a worthy depiction of a ship that had a distinguished wartime career.