By Rob Mackie 18 photos of the USS Jospeh P. Kennedy, Jr.
Kit is now in production.
This is an all new and improved master. Click here for a first look Launched on 26 July 1945 from the Bethlehem Steel Company's Quincy, Massachusetts yard, the USS Joseph P. Kennedy was one of 96 Gearing class destroyers. These ships, the ultimate in WW II US destroyer development, built on the lessons learned in the preceding Fletcher class. The later Gearings carried one instead of two quintuple torpedo tubes, but a much heavier 20mm and 40mm anti-aircraft fit. This was in keeping with the increased importance of the destroyer as an air defense platform.