Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Order a flight of infused ya dong shots.
Tep Bar
Thai-Chinese makes up Bangkok’s largest diaspora.
Nai Ek Roll Noodle
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
7 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
8 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
9 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
10 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Maryland Annapolis U.S.S. Agerholm Model

U.S.S. Agerholm Model

This 16-foot, intricately detailed model of the Gearing-class destroyer has been called the most detailed model ship ever built.

Annapolis, Maryland

Added By
Elliot Carter
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Bow   U.S. Navy
Bow   U.S. Navy
The Agerholm in Rickover Hall   Samantha Fletcher, USNA
Longview of the Agerholm   U.S. Navy
The stern   U.S. Navy
Midship   U.S. Navy
Interior view   U.S. Navy
Interior view 2   U.S. Navy
  PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
Close up   PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
Close up   PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
Close up   PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
Close up   PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
  PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
Bust of Admiral Rickover Father of Nuclear Navy (Rickover Lobby)   PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
  PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
U.S.S. Agerholm Model   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
U.S.S. Agerholm Model   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
U.S.S. Agerholm Model   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
U.S   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
  PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
USS Constitution (Rickover Lobby)   PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
USS Constitution (Rickover Lobby)   PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
USS Constitution (Rickover Lobby)   PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
USS George Washington (Rickover Lobby)   PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
USS George Washington (Rickover Lobby)   PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
LM2500+ GE’s new marine Engine (In Rickover Lobby)   PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

There are many model ships on display at the U.S. Naval Academy, but perhaps none as special as the U.S.S. Agerholm overlooking the main lobby in Rickover Hall.

This 16-foot long model is a cutaway that shows the exterior on one side, and reveals the complicated interior layout on the other. David Wooley and William Clarke write in Warships and Warship Modeling that “The Agerholm is probably the most detailed model ever built.”

The World War II-era miniature destroyer was pieced together by the Gibbs and Cox Company model shop in the 1940s. The model Agerholm cost $1.4 million at a time when a single family suburban home went for about $7,000.

Gibbs and Cox was and still is a leading naval architecture firm behind an estimated 60 percent of the present-day surface combatant fleet. In the words of Rear Admiral Harold Bowen, “Nowhere . . . did the art of model building exceed in excellence its development at Gibbs and Cox.”

Models like the Agerholm had a dual purpose. First, they actually were a part of the design process—modeling was an important step that took place alongside blueprinting to work out just how everything fit together.

In Bowen’s assessment, Gibbs models like the Agerholm “were so accurate that it was safe for a draftsman to obtain dimensions from them, and it was much easier for the pipe shop to lay out its piping from the model than to construct it by laying templates in the actual vessel.”

The Navy recognized modeling as an innovative best practice and at one point actually required that shipbuilders supply a model. The Algerholm’s second purpose had nothing to with actual ship building, though: It was about public relations. Admirals were spending heaps of money on these warships and loved the idea of being able to show off their sexy hardware with museum quality models.

Related Tags

Naval History Models Ships Miniatures World War Ii Small Worlds And Model Towns Military

Know Before You Go

Today the Agerholm is on display on the second floor at Rickover Hall, which is not normally open to the public. Contact Naval Academy Public Affairs with inquiries about access.

Community Contributors

Added By

Elliot Carter

Edited By

pnorloff, PushingUpDaisies, blimpcaptain

  • pnorloff
  • PushingUpDaisies
  • blimpcaptain

Published

February 6, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://press.princeton.edu/titles/3859.html
  • http://www.usni.org/store/books/history/warships-and-warship-modelling
  • http://articles.latimes.com/1988-06-21/business/fi-4744_1_levittown-house
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibbs_%26_Cox
  • https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=30fWCgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en&pg=GBS.PP10
  • http://www.ussrich.org/newsletter/v3n4nov96.pdf
  • http://www.destroyerhistory.org/destroyers/index.asp?r=7400&pid=7401
U.S.S. Agerholm Model
U.S. Naval Academy, Rickover Hall
Holloway Road
Annapolis, Maryland
United States
38.984657, -76.484563
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Tripoli Monument

Annapolis, Maryland

miles away

John Paul Jones' Crypt

Annapolis, Maryland

miles away

William Paca House And Garden

Annapolis, Maryland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Annapolis

Annapolis

Maryland

Places 14

Nearby Places

The Tripoli Monument

Annapolis, Maryland

miles away

John Paul Jones' Crypt

Annapolis, Maryland

miles away

William Paca House And Garden

Annapolis, Maryland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Annapolis

Annapolis

Maryland

Places 14

Related Places

  • The model was relocated from the Smithsonian in 2010.

    Washington, D.C.

    USS Missouri Model Ship

    The U.S. Navy’s preposterously detailed mini battleship took 77,000 hours to complete.

  • The PS Medway Queen.

    Gillingham, England

    The PS Medway Queen

    The "Heroine of Dunkirk" rescued over 7,000 Allied troops during the historic World War II evacuation.

  • Historic Navy Pier

    Chicago, Illinois

    Aircraft Carriers of Navy Pier

    Chicago's Navy Pier on Lake Michigan was a training hub for aircraft carrier pilots during WWII.

  • A portion of the 400-square-foot model

    Québec City, Québec

    Musee du Fort

    A 400-square foot model of historic Quebec is the playing field for a state of the art light and sound show.

  • Jaca, Spain

    The Jaca Citadel Military Miniatures Museum

    32,000 tiny soldiers are posed in 23 historical settings.

  • Mossel Bay, South Africa

    The Model Shipyard

    A custom shop making factory that produces models for collectors and movies.

  • Fall River, Massachusetts

    Battleship Cove

    The world's largest collection of historic U.S. military naval vessels.

  • F14 Fighter Jet

    Alameda, California

    USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum

    After serving in World War II and picking up Apollo astronauts, this aircraft carrier has been turned into a museum overlooking the San Francisco Bay.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.