On August 5, 2017, The Mariners’ Museum and Park in Newport News, VA, opened an exhibit of ship models built by members of the Hampton Roads Ship Model Society in honor of their 50th anniversary.

The exhibit ran through February 11, 2018. A model of my Dad’s ship, USS Kendall C. Campbell, was on display.


Originally, Gene built the ship model of the Campbell for our family legacy in 2014. He took the model to local venues, and it was an honor to have it displayed at the Mariners’.


Hampton Roads Ship Model Society was founded in 1967 and meets monthly at the Mariners’ Museum and Park in Newport News, VA. HRSMS is composed of individuals who are interested in pursuing the art of ship model building and the exploration of maritime history.
Club members come from varied backgrounds and occupations. They travel from places in Virginia such as Newport News, Hampton, Chesapeake, Williamsburg, Virginia Beach, the Northern Neck, and western suburbs of Richmond. Also from the border of North Carolina.
Interests of members range from nautical history to photographs and art. Members have a particular focus on building detailed and historically accurate scale model ships.
HRSMS is dedicated to helping ship model builders new to the craft learn basic skills while giving experienced builders the opportunity to perfect their abilities.
Many members have won top awards in competitions both in the United States and abroad. Models built by past and present members of HRSMS can be found in some of our nation’s premier museums.
Twenty-seven members contributed a total of sixty ship models for the Mariners’ exhibit.







Behind the Scenes Photos before the Exhibit


The Campbell served in the South Pacific during World War II.
USS Kendall C. Campbell, Butler Class, Destroyer Escort
- Complement: 14 officers, 201 enlisted
- Laid down: 16 December 1943
- Launched: 19 March 1944
- Commissioned: 31 July 1944
- Decommissioned: 31 May 1946
- Fate: sold for scrapping 15 January 1973
- General characteristics
- Displacement: 1,350/1,745 tons
- Length: 306 ft (93 m)
- Beam: 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m)
- Draught: 13 ft 4 in (4.06 m) (max)
- Propulsion: 2 boilers, 2 geared turbine engines, 12,000 shp, 2 screws
- Speed: 24 knots
- Range: 6,000 nm @ 12 knots
- Armament: 2-5 in (130 mm), 4 (2×2) 40 mmAA, 10-20 mm AA, 3-21 inch (533 mm) TT, 1 Hedgehog, 8 DCT’s, 2 DC tracks