William Tompkins built 307 different model ships at a scale of 1/600. Mr. Tompkins started building his massive collection when he was in his early teens, and he continued to make highly detailed models throughout his lifetime. The fleet of model ships includes a wide array of models that span several decades, if not more, so the collection offers an insightful view of naval evolution over time. A portion of William Tompkins’ fleet of 1/600 scale model ships is on display in the Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum in Carlsbad, CA.
USS San Diego was an Atlanta-class light cruiser of the US Navy. It was commissioned just after the US entry into WWII, and active throughout the Pacific theater. Armed with sixteen 5-inch/127 mm DP Anti-aircraft guns, and 16 Bofors 40 mm AA guns, the Atlanta-class cruisers had the heaviest anti-aircraft broadside of any warship during WWII. The San Diego was the second most decorated ship of WWII, being awarded 18 battle stars. It was also the first major Allied warship to enter Tokyo Bay after the surrender of Japan. Decommissioned in 1946, the ship was sold for scrap in 1960.