The Internet Craftsmanship Museum Presents:

A display of 76 models from Mr. Tompkins collection can be seen at the Craftsmanship Museum in Carlsbad, CA. The models are detailed below. (Click on photo to view a larger image.)

The William Tompkins Model Ship Collection

Model making as a teenager turns into a career in designing the future of Naval ships and spacecraft

This ship collection is just a part of 307 ship models built in 1:600 scale by William Tompkins starting when he was in his early teens. The models attracted the attention of the US Navy in the lead-up to WWII due to their uncanny accuracy, representing details that were at the time classified as secret. He had modeled them simply by observing ships in Long Beach harbor, even though no photography was allowed at the time. The models were brought to San Diego where young Mr. Tompkins met with Navy officials. His models were used during the war to help our sailors identify different classes of ships. Because of his skills and imagination, Mr. Tompkins was inducted into the Navy at age 17 where he served in 4 years on the staff of an Admiral who was commander of Naval Intelligence. He was also trained as a naval airman. After leaving the service he went on to work for Douglas aircraft where he served as engineering section chief for 12 years. He also worked with North American Corporation Space Systems, TRW Space and General Dynamics, marketing to the Navy, Air Force, NASA, and Army on advanced space systems at the corporate level. At General Dynamics he worked at the top level on the "Red Team" working with the armed services at the corporate level as well. In an engineering capacity, his ideas were also instrumental in getting the Apollo space program on track and successful. All this resulted from the models he started building as a teenager.

Two ships designed by William Tompkins predicted the future of naval warship design. On the bottom is his sleek "1960 cruiser" designed as a young man in 1939. Above it is his low radar signature destroyer designed in 1990. The Zumwalt class destroyer (see below) to be commissioned in 2014 reflects this same basic design. (Click on photo to view a larger image.)

As an example of his advanced thinking, in 1939 he conceived of a very sleek cruiser as it might be built in the far off year of 1960. In 1969 while working with TRW he conceived a destroyer for the year 1990. In the 1990's, the Navy came up with a low radar signature destroyer, but that program was canceled in a year. In 2009, General Dynamics Bath Ironworks started a new destroyer. Now, in 2014, the first Zumwalt class destroyer is almost finished. Notice it's resemblance to Bill's 1969 design.

The new Zumwalt class destroyer built by General Dynamics. (Click on photo to view a larger image.)

Mr. Tompkins feels that these models were his entry into a distinguished career in aerospace technology and the world of space travel. He feels that many of the people whose work is represented in the museum are people of special talents that have been given to them for the betterment of mankind. Put to good use, these skills led to a distinguished career in ship and spacecraft design as well as access to some of the nation's most secret and important development programs. Mr. Tompkins is the author of a just released book called Selected by Extraterrestrials. He has also authored a forthcoming book on extraterrestrials and their influence on our world and society. It is entitled Others in the Secret Think Tank and covers some of his experiences when working with TRW.

Photos of the collection

Click on any thumbnail to view a larger image of the model.

Aircraft Carriers

2014.6.1

USS Langley, CV-1

1923

The first carrier in the United States military arsenal was constructed in 1920 by placing a flight deck atop a collier (coal ship) called the USS Jupiter. Named after aviation pioneer Samuel Pierpont Langley the carrier was refitted as a seaplane tender and fought in WWII where it was eventually sunk during the war. In addition to being the first US carrier, it was also the navy's first electrically propelled ship.

2014.6.2

USS Saratoga, CV-3

1928

 The Saratoga's keel was laid as a battle cruiser but due to a treaty in 1922 restricting the construction of such ships, she was refitted as the first US carrier. A Lexinton class ship, she entered service in 1928 and served in a number of major Pacific campaigns in WW II. She survived the war but was eventually sunk when used as a test target during atomic bomb testing after the war. She survived the first test, but not the second.

2014.6.3

USS Ranger, CV-4

1933

 The Ranger was the first dedicated US Naval carrier designed from the ground up. A relatively small and slow ship, she served in the Atlantic during WW II. Six smokestacks can be seen coming straight out of the sides of the ship. Later designs directed them upward. Ranger was one of the first 14 ships fitted with the then new RCA CXAM-1 radar in 1942. She was one of only three the eight pre-war US carriers to survive WW II.

2014.6.4

USS Enterprise, CV6

1941

 A Yorktown class carrier launched in 1936, she was actually the 7th ship to carry the Enterprise name. Sometimes called "The Big E", on three separate occasions during the Pacific War, the Japanese announced that she had been sunk in battle, also earning her the name "The Grey Ghost." Enterprise earned 20 battle stars, the most for any U.S. warship in World War II and became the most decorated US ship of that war.

2014.6.5

USS Midway, CV41

1951

Commissioned a week after the end of WW II, the Midway was the largest ship in the world until 1955. She served for an unprecedented 47 years, saw action in the Vietnam War, and was the Persian Gulf flagship in 1991's Operation Desert Storm. Decommissioned in 1992, she is now a floating museum in nearby San Diego, California, and the only remaining U.S. aircraft carrier of the World War II era that is not an Essex-class carrier.

The Midway is shown here configured for "Project Sandy," a 1947 experiment involving firing a captured German V2 missile from the steel flight deck. This dangerous program almost ended in disaster and was not continued. Old news footage of the missile launch can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eug0uV5ko0s.

(NOTE: Model based on a plastic kit with scratch built Project Sandy details added.)

2014.6.6

USS Long Island, CVE-1

Escort Carrier, 1941

 Originally laid down as a cargo ship in 1939, she was acquired by the US Navy and refitted as the Navy's first escort carrier in 1941. She served in the Pacific during WWII both transporting aircraft to various bases and as a training carrier in San Diego. She was decommissioned in 1946 and was eventually refitted for a number of civilian commercial configurations including a floating student hostel before finally being scrapped in 1977.

Battleships

2014.6.7

USS Connecticut, BB-18

1907

 Flagship of Roosevelt's "Great White Fleet." The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the United States Navy battle fleet that completed a circumnavigation of the globe from 16 December 1907 to 22 February 1909 by order of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. It consisted of 16 white-hulled battleships divided into two squadrons, along with various escorts. Roosevelt sought to demonstrate growing American military power and blue-water navy capability. Hoping to enforce treaties and protect overseas holdings, the U.S. Congress appropriated funds to build American sea power.

2014.6.8

USS New York, BB-34

1938

USS New York (BB-34) the lead ship of her class. She was designed as the first ship to carry the 14 inch/45 caliber (356 mm) gun. Entering service in 1914, she was part of the U.S. Navy force which was sent to reinforce the British Grand Fleet in the North Sea near the end of World War I. During that time, she was involved in at least two incidents with German U-Boats, and is believed to have been the only U.S. ship to have sunk one, during an accidental collision in October 1918.

She entered the Neutrality Patrol at the beginning of World War II, and served as a convoy escort for ships to Iceland and Great Britain in the early phase of the war. Late in the war, she moved to the Pacific, and provided artillery support for the invasion of Iwo Jima and later the invasion of Okinawa.After the war, she was determined to be obsolete and was chosen to take part in the Operation Crossroads nuclear weapon tests at Bikini Atoll in 1946. She survived both explosions and the effects of radiation on the ship were studied for several years. She was eventually sunk as a target in 1948. She received three battle stars for her service.

2014.6.9

USS Nevada, BB-36

1939

Launched in 1914, the Nevada was a leap forward in dreadnought technology; three of her new features would be included on almost every subsequent US battleship: triple gun turrets, oil in place of coal for fuel, geared steam turbines for greater range, and the "all or nothing" armor principle. These features made Nevada the first US Navy "super-dreadnought".The Nevada was caught in Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack in 1941. She was the only battleship to get under way during the attack but was hit with bombs and torpedos and had to be beached. She was repaired and returned to service in the Atlantic, taking part in the assault on Normandy.

At the end of World War II, the Navy decided that Nevada was too old to be retained, so they assigned her to be a target ship in the atomic experiments at Bikini Atoll in July 1946. After being hit by the blast from the first atomic bomb, she was still afloat but heavily damaged and radioactive. She was decommissioned on 29 August, 1946 and sunk during naval gunfire practice on 31 July, 1948.

2014.6.10

USS Mississippi, BB-41

1941

Commissioned in 1917, too late to serve in World War I, she served extensively in the Pacific in World War II, for which she earned eight battle stars. She was one of several pre-war battleships that participated in the Battle of Surigao Strait, the last battleship engagement in history.

After the war, her two sisters were quickly decommissioned and scrapped, but Mississippi continued to serve another decade as a weapons testing ship (AG-128). She played an important role in the development of the RIM-2 Terrier missile system. After an attempt to acquire her as a museum ship failed, she was sold for scrap in 1956.

2014.6.11

USS Colorado, BB-45

1940

 Based in Hawaii starting in January, 1941, the Colorado served the entire war in the pacific, taking fire in several shore bombardments and being hit by both Kamikaze attacks and accidental friendly fire on other occasions. After the war she made three runs from Hawaii to Washington returning over 6000 soldiers from the island to the mainland. She was decommissioned in 1947 and sold for scrap in 1959.

2014.6.12

USS North Carolina, BB-55

1941

 Nicknamed "Showboat", the North Carolina was the lead ship of North Carolina-class battleships. She was the first newly constructed American battleship to enter service during World War II, and she took part in every major naval offensive in the Pacific Theater of Operations to become the most highly decorated American battleship of World War II, accumulating 15 battle stars. The USS North Carolina is now a museum ship and memorial kept at the seaport of Wilmington, NC.

Heavy Cruisers

2014.6.13

USS Pensacola, CA-24

1937

  

2014.6.14

USS Portland, CA-33

1938

  

2014.6.15

USS San Francisco, CA-38

1939

  

2014.6.16

"1961 Cruiser"

Designed 1939

 Designed by Bill Tompkins in 1939, this ship represented to him the future with a sleek, smooth design. The design foreshadowed the beginning of the concept of "stealth" design with a low radar signature.

2014.6.17

Stealth Cruiser CCN-21

Designed, 1969

Another design from 1969 by Bill Tompkins accurately predicts the new Zumwalt Class ships commissioned starting in 2014. Designed specifically to have a low radar signature, the faceted design reflects characteristics of the F-117 stealth fighter aircraft.

Light Cruisers

2014.6.18

USS Memphis, CL-13

1937

 

2014.6.19

USS San Diego, CL-53

1942

The San Diego was an Atlanta class light cruiser of the US Navy, commissioned just after the US entry into WWII and active throughout the Pacific theatre. Armed with 16 5 inch/127mm DP Antiaircraft guns and 16 Bofors 40mm AA guns, the Atlanta-class cruisers had the heaviest anti-aircraft broadside of any warship of World War II.

San Diego was the second most decorated ship of WW II, being awarded 18 battle stars and was the first major Allied warship to enter Tokyo Bay after the surrender of Japan. Decommissioned in 1946, the ship was sold for scrapping in December 1960.

Destroyers

2014.6.20

USS Southard, DD-207

1932

 

2014.6.21

USS Faragut, DD-348

1937

 

2014.6.22

USS Worden, DD-352

1938

 

2014.6.23

USS Dale, DD-353

1939

 

2014.6.24

USS Winslow, DD-359

1937

Renumbered 127 due to mission change

2014.6.25

USS Case, DD-370

1936

 

2014.6.26

USS Cushing, DD-376

1937

 

2014.6.27

USS Swanson, DD-443

1941

 

2014.6.28

USS Ellis, DD-154

1927

 

2014.6.29

USS Parker, DD-604

1942

 

2014.6.30

USS Thorn, DD-647

1943

 

2014.6.31

USS Russell, DD-414

 

Submarines

2014.6.32

USS S-14, SS-119

1927

 

2014.6.33

USS S-44, SS-155

1927

 

2014.6.34

USS Bonita, SS-165

1926

(Marked as B-3 class submarine)

2014.6.35

USS Narwahl, SS-167

1938

 

2014.6.36

USS Tarpon, SS-175

1936

(P4 class submarine)

2014.6.37

USS Guavina, SS-262

 

(Numbered "362", also called "272")

2014.6.38

USS Spearfish, SS-190

1938

 

2014.6.39

USS Thresher, SS-200

1940

Thresher received 15 battle stars and a Navy Unit Commendation for World War II service in the Pacific, placing her among the highest decorated US ships of the Second World War. She was decommissioned in 1946.

(A second submarine named Thresher SSN-593 was a nuclear sub that was lost in a tragic accident killing 129 crewmen during deep dive testing in 1963.)

2014.6.40

USS Sea Lion, SS-315

1943

 

2014.6.41

USS Tigrone, SS-419

1944

 

Mine Warfare Ships

2014.6.42

USS Tracy, CM-19

Mine Layer

 

2014.6.43

USS Quail, MSO-15

Mine Sweeper-Ocean, 1938

 

2014.6.44

USS Seagull, MSO-30

Mine Sweeper-Ocean, 1940

 

2014.6.45

USS Redwood, NET-25

Net Tender, 1941

 

2014.6.46

USS Albatross, AMC-71

Mine Sweeper, 1944

 
Combat Support Ships

2014.6.75

USS Whitney, AD-4

Destroyer Tender, 1938

 

2014.6.76

USS Holland, AS-3

Submarine Tender, 1935

 

2014.6.47

USS Fury, PG69

Patrol Gunboat, 1942

 

2014.6.48

USS Solace, AH-2

Hospital Ship, 1940

 

2014.6.49

2014.6.50

2014.6.51

2014.6.52

2014.6.53

USS PT-6,

Torpedo Boat, 1937

 

USS PT-117,

Torpedo Boat, 1939

 

USS PB-3

Sea Plane Pickup Boat

 

USS YP-7

Launch

 

USS YP-3

Launch

 

2014.6.61

USS Bay Springs, AT-60

Fleet Ocean Tug, 1937

 

2014.6.57

USS Acushnet, AT-63

Ocean Tug 1908

Served as a revenue cutter from 1908 to 1919. Refitted as a US Coast Guard ship from 1919 to 1936 when she was retasked to the US Navy to fill a need for ocean going tugs during WWII. The ship was decommissioned in 1946.

2014.6.54

USS Navajo, AT-64

Fleet Ocean Tug, 1939

Served in WW II. Torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese submarine I-39 some 150 miles east of Espiritu Santo. 17 of the crew were killed. The survivors were picked up by the US minesweeper USS YMS-266.

2014.6.55

PC-450, LS-154

Sub Chaser

PC 461 class

2014.6.56

USS Cuyahoga, PT-26/AG-26

Patrol Boat, 1938

 

2014.6.58

USS LCI-1068

Landing Craft, 1944

 

2014.6.59

USS Falcon, ASR-2

Submarine Salvage Ship, 1938

(Hull numbered "1") The third USS Falcon, (AM-28/ASR-2) was Lapwing-class minesweeper AM-28 in the United States Navy. She later was refitted as a submarine rescue ship ASR-2.

2014.6.60

USS Pigeon, ASR-21

Submarine Rescue ship, 1976

 
Aircraft/Airships/Spacecraft

2014.6.74

USS DN-7, LTA DN-7

Airship, 1918

 

2014.6.64

USS TC-14, LTA (Blimp)

 

2014.6.62

2014.6.63

 

Martin Mariner PBM-3

 

Consoidated PBY Catalina, PBY5-A

 

2014.6.65

Consolidated Vultee XRSC-1

Transport

 

2014.6.66

Consolidated PB4Y-2 "Privateer"

Bomber

 

2014.6.67

2014.6.68

2014.6.69

Sikorsky HS-1

Flying Boat

 

Naval Aircraft Factory NAF-TE, 1921

 

Curtiss NC-4

Flying boat, 1919

 

2014.6.70

International Space Station

 

2014.6.71

Space Shuttle

 

2014.6.72

Naval Solar System Cruiser 2016

Electro-metric propulsion

2014.6.73

Naval Galactic Carrier, SCB-44

With 2 destroyer escorts. (NOTE: Not to same scale as other models. Length of actual ship = 4 Km. Based on plastic model kit.)

 

RETURN TO WILLIAM TOMPKINS' PAGE

RETURN TO MUSEUM HOME PAGE

Copyright 2014, The Joe Martin Foundation for Exceptional Craftsmanship. All rights reserved.
 No part of this web site, including the text, photos or illustrations, may be reproduced or transmitted in any other form or by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise) for commercial use without the prior written permission of The Joe Martin Foundation. Reproduction or reuse for educational and non-commercial use is permitted.