USS Harry S Truman in Legos

The story may not be recent, but a Lego version oflargest Lego ship in the world. It is just like the original
one of the largest ships afloat never gets old.even to the smallest of details. It features electric lights
In February 2005, after watching a documentary abouton the flight deck, in the hangar and inside the aircraft,
aircraft carriers, IT consultant Malle Hawking fromas well as movable lifts and radar dishes, and even a
Munich, Germany, was inspired to make one of hismotorized catapult.
own - using Lego bricks.The (real) USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) is the first
Hawking said that he used to play and build Legoship in the United States Navy to be named after the
models when he was a boy but stopped in his teens.33rd President of the United States. She was
With about 25 pictures from the Internet for reference,commissioned on July 25, 1998, where Bill Clinton was
he tried to copy the Harry S. Truman again and againthe keynote speaker of the ceremony.
until he got it right.The aircraft carrier's first deployment was in Operation
"It took me months to purchase the parts and besidesSouthern Watch from November 28, 2000 to May 23,
assembling sessions after work I can't think of anything2001. During the Truman team's involvement in OSW,
I have done in my life before that was as exhaustingthe air wing flew 869 combat sorties, totaling more
as sorting through all the pieces," said Hawking.than 2,700 flight hours.
About £10,000, over 300,000 Lego bricks andIn competition year 2004, the USS Harry S. Truman
more than a year later, his scale model of the aircraftwon the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award, an
carrier was finally completed.honor given to the most battle-ready ship in the US
Measuring over 5m long, 1.2m high and weighing moreAtlantic Fleet. She also received the Battle "E" award
than 160kg, the Lego USS Harry S. Truman is thefor three consecutive years, from 2003 to 2005.