1/600 USRC AE Stevens

AE Stevens was designed as a test bed for the proposed technologies and concepts in the much larger "Stevens Battery" (which I also offer.) She was converted from the civilian ship "Naugatuck" and dutifully rebuilt almost in her entirety, including a reinforced wooden deck, a forward mounded hundred pound gun, an armored pilot house, and a series of ballast tanks that would allow her to be submerged to just above the waterline and greatly reduce her target profile. As in Stevens Battery, crew were meant to fire her guns from within the hull. She was the first armored vessel ever accepted in Revenue Cutter Service/Coast Guard history. In 1862, she was seconded to the Navy, which mistakenly entered her in the logs as "Naugatuck," however, her Cutter Service crew continued to refer to her by the proper name of "EA Stevens." At Drewry's Bluff, her forward gun, 100 pound parrot rifle, burst. Normally, such an explosion would kill or seriously maim the crew. But it did nothing to the crew, as they were safely protected. Unfortunately, the Navy saw this as a design flaw in the ship itself (despite the gun not having been significantly modified) and she was returned to the USRC. The USRC continued to use her to patrol waterways and rivers, and she ended her war patrolling the James. To my knowledge, we are the first company to offer this vessel in 1/600 scale. Historically, the EA Stevens has been described as having a black hull with stained wood deck, white pilothouse, and red gunwales. As usual, I strongly recommend BSF. But it's your call:)