USS Charger (AVG-30) was launched on March 1, 1941 by Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Chester, Pennsylvania, as Rio de la Plata. She was originally commissioned as HMS Charger (D27) before being transferred to the United States Navy on October 4, 1941. She was reclassified AVG-30 on January 24, 1942 and commissioned on March 3, 1942.

Charger was listed by the US Navy as the sole ship of her class, but she actually had several sister ships in HMS Avenger, HMS Biter, and HMS Dasher, all of which had similar construction histories and transferred to the Royal Navy under the Lend-Lease program.

Charger was scheduled to provide air cover for Operation Torch, the Allied North African landings in late 1942, but she was replaced in that role by USS Santee before the operation took place. For most of the war, Charger acted as a school ship for both squadrons in training and flight deck personnel assigned to newly commissioned carriers. Men trained on her decks played an important role in the successful contest for the Atlantic with hostile submarines carried out by the escort carrier groups.

Throughout the war, Charger operated in Chesapeake Bay. She later left the bay for two ferry voyages, one to Bermuda in October 1942, and one to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in September 1945. She was decommissioned at New York on March 15, 1946, and sold into merchant service on January 30, 1947 as Fairsea. She was disabled by an engine fire on January 29, 1969, and due to a lack of spare parts, was sold for scrap in Italy later on.

At Maritime Modelworks, we bring ordinary wood models to life. Each museum quality USS Charger ship model is created step-by-step meticulously. No machines are involved in the process; everything is made by hand. Skilled craftsmen chip away at a piece of mahogany until a ship appears, which is then sanded and puttied. Hand-casted resin and handmade metal parts are also added. Gifted artists paint on the colors and all details, no matter how big or small. Afterwards, clear lacquer is applied for protection. Each model ship is complemented with a handsome display base with brass pedestals and a brass name plate. Products are always double-checked before being delivered to customers in professionally-packaged double-lined boxes with high density foam.