The lead ship of her class, USS North Carolina (BB-55) was a battleship of the United States Navy. She was laid down on October 27, 1937 by the New York Naval Shipyard; launched on June 13, 1940; sponsored by Miss Isabel Hoey, daughter of Governor of North Carolina; and commissioned on April 9, 1941. As the first new battleship to join the fleet in nearly two decades, she received much attention during her fitting out and trials and was nicknamed “Showboat”.

The first month of 1945 saw North Carolina screening wide-ranging carrier strikes on Formosa, the cost of Indo-China and China, and the Ryukyus. In February she similarly supported strikes on Honshu. Hundreds of enemy aircraft were destroyed which might otherwise have resisted the assault on Iwo Jima, where North Carolina bombarded and provided call fire for the assaulting Marines through February 22.

The battleship played a dual role of bombardment and carrier screening during the Okinawa assault. On April 6, 1945, she shot down three kamikaze planes, but took a 5-inch hit from a friendly ship during the melee of anti-aircraft fire. The next day Yamato, the largest battleship in the world, came south with her attendants. Yamato, a cruiser, and a destroyer were sunk. Three other destroyers were so badly damaged that they were scuttled, and the remaining destroyers returned to the fleet base at Sasebo, wounded as well. On that same day North Carolina splashed an enemy plane, and she shot down two more April 17.

She was off Japan in August and September, during the weeks just before and after that nation's surrender. North Carolina returned to the United States in October 1945 and operated in the Atlantic until she was inactivated in 1946. She was decommissioned on June 27, 1947 and became a memorial and museum at Wilmington, where she remains to this day. North Carolina received 15 battle stars for World War II service, more than any other US battleship during the war.

At Maritime Modelworks, we bring ordinary wood models to life. Each museum quality USS North Carolina 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 sturdy wood crates via FedEx Next Day Air.