USS Sterett (DLG/CG-31) was a Belknap class destroyer leader/cruiser. She was laid down on September 25, 1926; launched on June 30, 1964; sponsored by Mrs. Phyllis Nitze; and commissioned on April 8, 1967. She was the third ship to be named for Master Commandant Andrew Sterett, who served during the Quasi-War with France and the Barbary Wars.

On March 29, 1968, Sterett departed from Bremerton for FAST exercises with fast combat support ship Camden. O n June 19 she departed San Pedro Bay for her first West Pacific tour. In July, she got underway again, en route to PIRAZ duty in the gulf. She put in at Danang, South Vietnam, for briefings on the 30th and departed immediately thereafter. She plied the waters off North Vietnam until August 5. She then moved on to duty as sea air rescue (SAR) ship and strike support ship (SSS), which she performed until September 4.

On March 17, 1969, Sterett joined Carrier Division 3 in the Sea of Japan for six days of special operations. From March 23 to mid-May, she sailed along the coasts of Korea, both in the Sea of Japan and in the Yellow Sea, providing protection for Peacetime Aerial Reconnaissance Program flights. She continued to shuttle back and forth between Yokosuka and the Tonkin Gulf for the first seven months of 1970. She alternated between PIRAZ duty and SAR/SSS duty, taking time out for visits to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan.

On January 7, 1972, Sterett pointed her bow westward for her second tour of duty off the Vietnamese coast. She arrived in Subic Bay on the January 29, and after eight days, departed for the Tonkin Gulf. From February 10 to March 3, she remained on PIRAZ station and, on February 21, became the first Navy ship to direct the downing of a MiG-21 by Air Force Civil Air Patrol.

Sterett earned nine battle stars for her service along the coast of Vietnam. Reclassified as guided missile cruiser CG-31 on June 30, 1975, she was decommissioned and stricken from the Navy Register on March 24, 1994 at San Diego. Transferred to the Maritime Administration on May 12, she was laid up at the Suisun Bay, California, reserve pending disposal.

At Maritime Modelworks, we bring ordinary wood models to life. Each museum quality USS Sterett 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.