Every fleet needs support vessels by way of tenders and tugboats. Vessel #1 is a small unarmed tugboat that might be used to help with mooring larger vessels, or towing cargo barges.
Vessel #3 is slightly larger - large enough to carry a 32pr rifled cannon for self-defence. To be honest, I don't really know if such vessels did indeed carry ordnance, but it seemed a reasonable proposition.
Vessel #6 is another large tugboat or tender, slightly larger than #3. I don't think any future constructions of this type of vessel will be any larger than this...
Mortar barges. Crude looking they are, but they were constructed from an illustration in Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. Three seemed a sufficient number for my purposes...
There remains a question about crewing these vessels. I do believe they might be a little over-scale anyway, but they look right. Maybe 10mm figures will have the right appearance...
Below are three views of a Kickapoo class monitor - two turrets, funnel and conning tower.
As yet, not a particularly convincing model at all. I'll probably add lifeboats and other gear to give it more of a lift, and scribe somehow the deck plates in the 'brick' pattern the Union seemed to favour for this type of vessel.
The hull will need reshaping as well into something more canoe-like. Then paint white around the tops of the turrets, funnel and conning tower... M'mmm, yes: it might look the business yet! I'll have a think about the turrets, too - possibly they are too tall.
To be concluded: CSS Tennessee and CSS Arkansas...
Hey, how cool are these - great work and MOST inspirational.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Greg Horne
I've found ACW Naval an occaisional fun period watery mayhem.
ReplyDeleteBig Andy: mayhem is right. Using a 'one brain cell' rule set I found in an old magazine, a friend and I fought a number of riverine actions. In one such, my Confederate flotilla put 4 vessels out of action - two of them their own! One CSA steamer misjudged (i.e. I misjudged) a ramming attempt and found itself headed for shore with no room to stop or turn. The other, having just rammed a Union vessel bows on (and luckily put it in a sinking condition), found itself dead in the water with a friendly vessel in line astern rapidly approaching...
ReplyDeleteWell, I gather the Memphis battle went a bit that way, only more so for the CSA.
Hi Greg -
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen much action on your blogspot recently. More to come soon, maybe?
Cheers,
Ion
Yes, watery fun methinks...
ReplyDeleteOne braincell rules sound perfect for me. Which ones were you using?
Greg
I've got them written down somewhere... I got them from an old magazine (borrowed - I don't have a copy of it) fifteen or sixteen years ago. They were designed really for a smaller scale, I think, but they seemed to work well with my boats.
ReplyDeleteOne thing emerged from these games, as they died I think in the event: a ship made a better missile than a cannon ball, or even a rifle projectile...
I did make some amendments, and was possibly rather generously disposed towards the CSA Brooke Rifles... I'll ee if I can't find my copy of the rule set.
cheers,
Ion
nice game
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Delete