USS Beale (DD-471) was a 2,050-ton Fletcher class destroyer of the United States Navy, named for Brigadier General Edward Fitzgerald Beale. She was laid down on December 19, 1941 by the Bethlehem Steel Company; launched on August 24, 1942; sponsored by Miss Nancy Beale, a great-grandniece of the ship's namesake; and commissioned on December 23, 1942 at the New York Navy Yard.

In January 1943, Beale conducted shakedown training off the coast of New England and later in the West Indies near Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She was transferred to the Pacific Fleet in April, and went to the northern Pacific war zone in August. In the middle of that month, Beale’s guns joined in the bombardment preparatory to the amphibious assault on Kiska. She continued to serve in the Aleutians area until November, then steamed to the southwest Pacific. While participating in the Cape Gloucester invasion in late December she engaged Japanese aircraft.

During the first seven months of 1944 Beale operated along the northern shore of western New Guinea and in the Admiralty Islands, assisting in landing operations at Saidor, Los Negros, Hollandia, Wakde-Sarmi, Biak and Cape Sansapor. In September and October she was present at the invasions of Morotai and Leyte. During the latter operation she bombarded Japanese shore positions, fought attacking aircraft and engaged enemy warships in the Battle of Surigao Strait.

Beale arrived in Hawaii on February 8, 1945, and the following day she commenced gunnery and antisubmarine warfare training in the local operating area. She sailed from Pearl Harbor on March 5 and, after a voyage that took her back via Ulithi Atoll, arrived at Leyte once again on St. Patrick's Day to be incorporated into the fleet gathering there for the assault on the Ryukyu Islands. From April to June, she took part in the assault on Okinawa and the associated lengthy struggle against Japanese suicide planes, emerging undamaged. Returning to the Atlantic in December, she was decommissioned in April 1946 and placed in the Reserve Fleet.

While still part of the inactive fleet, Beale was moved to the Boston Naval Shipyard for conversion to an anti-submarine destroyer. She was redesignated DDE-471 and recommissioned at the beginning of November. She joined the Atlantic Fleet and was part of it for the next 17 years. She was decommissioned at the end of September 1968 and sunk as a target in June 1969.

With the USS Beale wooden ship model, one can almost hear the roar of the ocean waves. It is an exact replica of the original, handmade with vigilance, from the very first to the last step. Master craftsmen diligently carve high quality mahogany to create the ship's form. After it is sanded and puttied, skilled artists paint on the intricate details. Hand-casted resin and handmade metal parts also constitute the model. Clear lacquer provides the finishing touch and long-lasting protection. Each ship comes on a a display base with brass pedestals and a brass name plate. All items then undergo quality control and are delivered to eagerly waiting customers in professionally-packaged wood crates via FedEx Next Day Air. More than just a display piece, the Beale ship model is a work of art.