The model railway equivalent of the ‘wargame in a matchbox’?

As I have mentioned before on my blog, I became a fan of YouTube whilst I was bedridden. One of my favourite channels is called Budget Model Railways whose creator - Mike Potter - is an enthusiast for building compact layouts that do not cost a fortune.

Not long ago he built an N-gauge layout that fitted into a box that could be carried on the back of a motorbike so that he could take it to his local model railway club. He has since replaced the motorcycle with one that has panniers and has therefore built a newer, highly portable layout that fits into a small (11-inch x 8-inch) metal case.

The layout is what model railway enthusiasts term an inglenook layout. In other words, it is long and thin and is used to solve shunting problems as well as to provide opportunities to run one’s locomotives and rolling stock. (A shunting problem is rather like the ‘Towers of Hanoi’ puzzle. The user has to assemble a train from the available rolling stock in a specific order that is usually randomly generated by stock cards.)

Having seen his completed layout, it struck me that the methods he used might be transferable to wargaming so that wargamers could create a ‘wargame in a case’. In other words, a larger version of the ‘wargame in a matchbox’ concept that users could take to their local club or on trips away from home.

This concept appeals to me, and I already have several ideas that are based around the fast play 3 x 3 version of the Portable Wargame, coupled with the possibility of running a small campaign. I know that other wargamers (e.g, The Perry twin's TRAVEL BATTLE, Daniel Weitz's 3D printed versions of HOPLITE and the PORTABLE NAPOLEONIC WARGAME) have already done something along these lines so I am not venturing into totally virgin territory.

It’s certainly an interesting little project that I could work on in parallel with larger ones, and it could enable me to do something that I am currently unable to do easily, which was to wargame away from home.

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Please note that the screenshots shown above are © Budget Model Railways.

It just has to be used to make an unclimbable model mountain range!

I recently bought a small Hewlett Packard laptop computer that I can take on holiday and when I took it out of its packaging I took one look at the latter and thought …

… it just has to be used to make an unclimbable model mountain range!

I could use them as it is but I think that it will look much better if I mount them on a base, paint them, and add some texture to them.

Nugget 367

I will be collecting the latest issue of THE NUGGET from the printer (Macaulay Scott Printing Company of Welling, Kent) later today. It will then be put into stamped and addressed envelopes and posted out to members.

I will also send the PDF copy to the webmaster later today and members should soon be able to read this issue of THE NUGGET online.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the fourth issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2024-2025 subscription year.

If you wish to subscribe for the 2024-2025 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

Adding a couple of units of sailors to my latest Belle Époque army ... or should that be navy?

I decided to add two naval units – an infantry unit and an artillery unit – to my army of the Commonwealth of Britannia. I found some suitable pre-painted Essex Miniatures figures on sale on eBay, bought them, and they have now been delivered.

A Royal Navy sailor equipped for service ashore as part of a Naval Brigade.

I will be varnishing and basing them as soon as I can, and this will enable me to field a small Naval Brigade that consists of a unit of Marine Infantry, a unit of Naval Infantry, and a unit of Naval Field Artillery.

The Centaur-class Light Fleet Aircraft Carriers

One of the 1:1200th-scale model ships that I recently acquired was of HMS Bulwark, …

The Minic Ships 1:1200th-scale model of HMS Bulwark.

… which was one of the four Centaur-class Light Fleet Aircraft Carriers that were ordered in 1943 and completed and commissioned between 1953 and 1959.

HMS Centaur as completed.

It was originally intended to be a class of eight ships, but four (HMS Arrogant, HMS Hermes (1), HMS Monmouth, and HMS Polyphemus) were cancelled before they were laid down. The ships that were eventually completed were:

• HMS Centaur
• HMS Albion
• HMS Bulwark
• HMS Hermes (originally named HMS Elephant)

The design was simplified as much as possible and were built to a hybrid naval and merchantile standard with limited armoured protection, half of the propulsion machinery that had been designed for the larger Audacious-class aircraft carriers, and an armament of light anti-aircraft guns. (It had originally intended to arm them with four twin 4.5-inch dual-purpose, between-deck guns but these were removed from the design before they were built.)

They were originally going to be equipped with a single hydraulic catapult and an axial deck, but in 1947 the design was modified to include a second catapult and a partial angle flight deck. The first three were completed to this design, but only HMS Centaur was later modernised with steam catapults as HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark were converted into helicopter assault ships or Commando carriers.

• HMS Centaur was decommissioned in 1965 and used as an accommodation ship until she was scrapped in 1972.
• HMS Albion remained in service until 1973 and was scrapped soon after she was decommissioned.
• HMS Bulwark went into reserve in 1976 but was recommissioned in 1979 after a two-year refit. She suffered a couple of fires which reduced her maximum speed, and she was finally withdrawn from service in 1981. She was scrapped in 1984.

HMS Hermes was completed to a much-modified design. She had two steam catapults, a full 8-degree angle flight deck, a side lift instead of a more normal forward centerline lift, the Comprehensive Display System (CDS) command, control, and coordination system, and the Type 984 radar. The latter featured a large fully stabilised, lantern-like structure that was mounted above the bridge.

HMS Hermes as completed. The Type 984 radar gave the ship an almost unique silhouette as only other ships equipped with it were HMS Victorious and HMS Eagle.

She operated as a fleet carrier from 1959 until 1971 when she was refitted as a helicopter assault ship. The CDS and type 984 radar were removed, as were the steam catapults and arrester gear. In 1980 she was again taken in hand and modified so that she could operate Sea Harriers as well as helicopters. The alterations also included the addition of a 12-degree ski-jump. She returned to service in 1981 and served as the flagship of the Falklands Task Force.

HMS Hermes was sold to India in the mid 1980s and was refitted before she was commissioned as INS Viraat in 1987. She served until 2017 and was sold for scrapping in 2020.

HMS Viraat.

Nugget 367

Last night the editor of THE NUGGET sent me the original of the latest issue and I will be sending it to the printer (Macauley Scott Printing Company, Welling, Kent) later today. I hope that I will be able to collect later this week. I will then post it out to members of Wargame Developments.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the fourth issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2024-2025 subscription year.

If you wish to subscribe for the 2024-2025 subscription year and have not yet done so, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

Warships for my Belle Époque project

Back in April 2022 I built a number of warships for my Belle Époque imagi-nations. They looked like this:

My scratch-built Burgundian battleships.

My scratch-built Schwarzenberg battleships.

My scratch-built Khakistani battleship.

Whilst they are perfectly acceptable, I've been thinking about building some new models to replace them. For inspiration, I have been looking at the MAJOR GENERAL TREMORDEN REDERRING'S COLONIAL WARGAMES PAGE. (Although the creator of the page - David Helber - no longer adds to it and the original URL no longer works, it is available thanks to it being archived by Wayback Machine,)

On the 'Ships and Boats for Colonial-era Gaming' page, David describes the models ships that he has built and used in his Colonial wargames, including the Ironclad Ram HMS Tempestuous ... which, with a different flag, became the SMS Dundermaus.

The model is 9-inches long and scaled to work with 25/28mm figures. As my ships need to look right alongside 15mm figures, I could reproduce something similar, and it would be just under 6-inches long ... which I think is eminently doable.

Little Wars … according to Paper Boys

Peter’s Paper Boys is Peter Dennis' paper soldier company, and it has rightly carved a niche for itself in wargaming. Besides being sold in book form by Helion, they are now available from the Paper Boys webpage.

One of the books is H G WELLS’ LITTLE WARS …

… and Peter has made it possible to download for free his illustration of a Wellsian wargame in progress.

As you can see, it captures the essence of Wells’ floor wargame, and as someone who - when I was more mobile - crawled about on a floor firing matchsticks at 54mm figures, it engenders all sorts of fond memories.

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Please note that the illustrations shown above are © Peter Dennis.

Wargame in a matchbox challenge

I have been following a very interesting online wargame design challenge set by Tradgardmastare (whose blog is known as The Duchy of Tradgardland) and that has been accepted by Mark, who writes the Man of Tin blog.

The challenge is to design a wargame that will fit in a matchbox, and both Tradgardmastare and Mark have written about their design ideas on their respective blogs … and mighty interesting their blog posts have been!

I must admit that I have been tempted to accept the challenge and were I not already quite busy trying to improve my mobility and working on my Belle Epoque project, I could see myself getting quite engrossed in it.

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Please note that the photograph featured above is © Crafty Capers and Amazon.

More work on my new Belle Époque army

Over the past few days I have been renovating and varnishing the infantry figures that I will use to form my Britannic Belle Époque army. Luckily, the figures were in quite good condition and needed only a minimal amount of work to prepare them for varnishing. Mostly I had to touch up a few places where the paintwork had been damaged during storage and to ensure that all the helmets were white. (A few had been painted with tan colour helmets which made the figures look a little odd and rather grubby.)

The next stage is to gloss varnish the figures, and once that is thoroughly dry (I like to leave it for at least two days), I can begin to base them.

I am also hoping to add a unit of armed sailors at some point so that I can field a Naval Brigade of Marines and Naval Infantry, possibly with a battery of naval artillery.

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In a comment made in reference to my previous blog post about the Army of the Commonwealth of Britannia, my old friend Arthur Harman (Arthur1815) stated, 'Bob, red coats and white helmets in the machine-gun age - that's a recipe for disaster! Unless the government of Britannia assumes its army will only be fighting natives who have no modern weapons...'

In reply, I lightheartedly cited in my defense that quite a few coloured, illustrated magazines and journals from the later nineteenth and early twentieth century showed British troops in action wearing red tunics and white helmets ... and here is one example that supposedly shows the early stages of the Battle of Omdurman in 1898:

A coloured drawing from a contemporary illustrated magazine showing the British and Egyptian  troops in action in the early stages of the Battle of Omdurman (1898).

A section of the above drawing clearly showing the British infantry wearing red tunics and white helmets.

Mind you, Arthur was right about the British troops not having to face a foe armed with modern weapons whilst they were still wearing red tunics and white helmets!

Triang Minic Ships

When I was growing up, Triang/Hornby produced and sold 1:1200th-scale metal and plastic model ships which were sold under the Minic Ships name. I bought several, including a couple of Daring-class Fleet Escorts (which were later redesignated as destroyers), three Centaur-class aircraft carriers, and two Minotaur/Swiftsure-class cruisers. I also managed to buy some cheap plastic Hong Kong-made copies of some of the other ships in the range, and these formed the basis of my first collection of 1:1200th-scale naval wargame models.

At the time I really wanted a set of the harbour accessories that were sold as part of the range … but I never had enough money to buy them and they were never gifted to me. Now that I am in my dotage and have eBay to hand, I have been able to remedy that situation. I am now the proud owner of both a Naval Habour set and an Ocean Terminal set … and I have a Fleet Anchorage set on its way to me!

The Naval Habour set contains three sections of dockside, four sections of breakwater, two corner joints for the breakwater, an end piece for the breakwater, two sets of two cranes, an oil tank farm, an unmanned light for the end of the breakwater, a model of HMS Bulwark (a Centaur-class aircraft carrier), and a model of HMS Vanguard, Britain’s last (and possibly best) battleship.

The Ocean Terminal set contains five sections of dockside, two sections of breakwater, two corner joints for the breakwater, an end piece for the breakwater, a set of two cranes, a two-part passenger/cruise terminal, a warehouse, an unmanned light for the end of the breakwater, two tugs, and a model of the RMS Queen Mary.

The Fleet Anchorage set contains three sections of dockside, five sections of breakwater, four corner joints for the breakwater, two end pieces for the breakwater, two sets of two cranes, two unmanned lights for the ends of the breakwater, and two tugs.

I have now fulfilled my boyhood ambition to own these three sets. Now all I need is some more ships to fill my harbour!

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Since I wrote this blog post I have been able to find a Quayside set on say on eBay and have bought it! The set contains three sections of dockside, two sets of two cranes, three warehouses, an oil tank farm, and two tugs.

The US Navy’s post-Civil War Monitors (Part 3)

The final monitors built for the United States Navy were the USS Monterey and the four vessels of the Arkansas-class. The latter went through a somewhat difficult design process, with the initial single-turret design being criticised as leaving the ships no more powerful that the much older Amphitrite-class, which had two turrets. The monitor concept was also criticised as a result of the type's perceived poor performance during the Spanish-American War. In the end, a slightly larger, single-turret design was deemed acceptable to the critics, and the ships were built.

The names allocated to the Arkansas-class (USS Arkansas, USS Connecticut, USS Florida, and USS Wyoming) were also criticised by some of the states they had been named for as it was felt that it was inappropriate for non-battleships to be so named. (The convention had been set when the USS Maine and USS Texas had been built that all capital ships (i.e. battleships) should be named after states.) Eventually the Navy acquiesced, and the ships were all renamed after in places in the states whose names they had borne.

USS Monterey was similar in design to the preceding Amphitrite-class even though she was not laid down until 1889. She was launched in 1891 and commissioned in 1893. As she had been built in San Francisco, it was not surprising that she was allocated to the Pacific Squadron. From 1893 until the outbreak of the Spanish-American War she undertook gunnery practice and took part in manoeuvres. Once the war had started, she was sent to the Philippines, where she served until early 1900. She then operated as a station ship in Shanghai as well as patrolling the coast of China in order to protect American interests. She was decommissioned in the Philippines in 1904 and recommissioned three years later. She then served until 1917 either in the Philippines or China before being towed to Pearl Harbour to serve as a station ship and submarine base ship. She was finally decommissioned in August 1921 and sold for scrapping.

USS Arkansas was laid down in November 1899, launched in November 1900, and commissioned in October 1902. On commissioning she served as an instruction and training ship for the Naval Academy. In 1903 she was allocated to the North Atlantic Fleet and spent the next three years operating along the east coast as far as the Gulf of Mexico and the West Indies. This was followed by another three years at the Naval Academy after which she was renamed Ozark before becoming a drill ship for the District of Columbia Naval Militia. In March 1913 she was refitted so that she could serve as a submarine tender, and other than a short spell in 1914 when she took part in operations off the coast of Mexico, she remained in that role until she was decommissioned in August 1919. She was sold for scrapping in January 1922.

USS Connecticut was laid down in April 1899, launched in November 1900, renamed USS Nevada in, January 1901, and commissioned in March 1903. She was renamed Tonopah in March 1909 before being allocated to the Atlantic Fleet's submarine force to act as a submarine tender. In 1918 she was sent to Punta Delgado in the Azores to support submarines and sub-chasers operating in that area. In December 1918 she was towed to Lisbon before returning the the United States, where she was decommissioned in July 1920. She was sold for scrapping in January 1922.

USS Florida was laid down in January 1899, launched in November 1901, and commissioned in June 1903. After serving with the Coastal Squadron until September 1906, she then became a practice ship for the Naval Academy. She performed this role on-and-off until August 1907, at which point she took part in tests of the new super-firing concept. These trials continued until June 1908, and she was renamed Tallahassee in July. Further gunnery trials followed, this duty alternating with service as a submarine tender. During the First World War she served as a submarine tender in the West Indies and Canal Zone. Once the war was over, she undertook various training duties until she was finally decommissioned in March 1922 before being sold for scrapping in July of that year.

USS Wyoming was laid down in April 1899, launched in September 1900, and commissioned in December 1902. She initially served on the west coast and took part in the operations that secured independence for Panama from Colombia late 1903. She stayed in that area until the middle of 1904 when she resumed cruising off the west coast of America. In October 1908 she was the first US Navy ship to have her boilers converted to run on oil, and for the next six months she undertook a number of trials of the new fuel system. In January 1909 she was renamed Cheyenne and after a period in reserve she was allocated to the Washington Naval Militia to act as a training ship in 1910. In 1913 she was converted into a submarine tender and other than the period between April and May 1914 when she was sent to evacuate refugees from Mexico, she performed that role on the west coast until the end of 1917 when she transferred to the east coast. She was decommissioned in January 1920 before being recommissioned in September and allocated to the Naval Reserve in the Baltimore area as a training ship. She remained in that role until finally decommissioned in June 1926, prior to her being sold for scrapping in April 1939.

The characteristics of the USS Monterey are:

• Displacement: 4.084 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 260ft 11in (79.53m)
• Beam: 59ft (18m)
• Draught: 14ft (4.3m)
• Propulsion: 4 x Babcock & Wilcox boilers providing steam to 2 x vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each powering a propeller
• Speed: 13.6 knots
• Complement: 210
• Armament: 2 x 12-inch (305mm)/35 breech-loading rifled guns; 2 x 10-inch (254)/31 breech-loading rifled guns; 6 x 6-pounder (57mm) Hotchkiss quick-firing guns
• Armour:
• Side: 13-inch (330mm)
• Turret: 8-inch (203mm)
• Barbette: 13-inch (330mm)
• Deck: 2.5-inch (64mm)

USS Monterey.

The characteristics of the Arkansas-class are:

• Displacement: 3.356 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 252ft (77m)
• Beam: 50ft (15m)
• Draught: 12ft 6in (3.81m)
• Propulsion: 4 x boilers providing steam to 2 x vertical triple-expansion engines, each powering a propeller
• Speed: 12.5 knots
• Complement: 222
• Armament: 2 x 12-inch (305mm)/40 breech-loading rifled guns; 4 x 4-inch (102mm)/40 breech-loading rifled guns; 3 x 6-pounder (57mm) Hotchkiss quick-firing guns; 4 x 1-pounder (37mm) quick-firing guns
• Armour:
• Side: 11-inch (280mm)
• Turret: 10-inch (250mm)
• Barbette: 11-inch (280mm)
• Deck: 1.5-inch (38mm)

USS Ozak (previously USS Arkansas).

USS Nevada (laid down as USS Connecticut).

USS Tallahassee (previously USS Florida).

USS Wyoming.

It is interesting to note that the turrets fitted to the Arkansas-class were virtually identical to those fitted to the contemporary Maine-class battleships (USS Maine (BB-10), USS Missouri (BB-11), and USS Ohio (BB-12)).

USS Maine.

A closeup of USS Maine's forward 12-inch turret.

Working on a new Belle Époque army

I have begun working on the renovation, rebasing, and varnishing of a new Belle Époque army … the army of the Commonwealth of Britannia. (This was originally going to be called Albion but I changed it to avoid any possible confusion with Stalbania.)

The flag of the Commonwealth of Britannia.

This is my fictional equivalent of Great Britain, and the troops wear red or dark blue jackets, dark blue/Oxford blue trousers or tartan kilts, and white pith helmets. So far I have renovated and varnished the figures for the artillery, cavalry, machine gun, and supply units as well as two mounted generals. I will then base them before moving on to the infantry.

The Britannic army will be a relatively small one. At present it only has a single cavalry unit, three artillery units, two machine gun units, four supply units, and seven infantry units … one of which will designated as Marines.

The US Navy’s post-Civil War Monitors (Part 2)

During the 1870s and 1880s the United States pursued an isolationist policy, with the result that the United States Navy’s role was confined to coastal defence. Unfortunately, the seagoing monitors whose task would be to fulfil this role were not in good condition and were in need of replacement … but Congress refused to vote any funds for new ship construction.

To get around this problem, the US Navy followed a policy of what can best be described as ‘great repair’. Monitors were taken in hand by the naval dockyards and some parts were removed from them. The ships were then scrapped, and new ships were constructed in their place. These new ships were USS Puritan and the Amphitrite-class (USS Amphitrite, USS Monadnock, USS Terror, and USS Miantonomoh).

USS Puritan was laid down in 1874, launched in December 1882, but not commissioned until December 1896. She saw service during the Spanish-American War, after which she served as a practice ship for the Naval Academy, then as a receiving ship, and finally as a drill ship for the Washington Naval Militia until 1910. She was sold for scrapping in 1918.

USS Amphitrite was laid down in 1874, launched in 1883, and commissioned in 1895. Before the Spanish-American War she performed a variety of training duties for the Naval Militia and gun crews. During the Spanish-American War she served off Cuba and took part in the capture of Puerto Rico. After the war, she resumed her training duties until 1917, when she became a guardship and training ship at New York until the end of the war. She was sold into commercial service in 1920, and her turrets and superstructure were removed so that she could be used as a floating hotel. She was requisitioned during the Second World War to serve as an accommodation ship for civilian construction workers. She was finally sold for scrapping in 1951.

USS Monadnock was laid down in 1874, launched in September 1883, and commissioned in February 1896. She was assigned to the Pacific Squadron and took part in operations in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. From 1899 until 1904 she operated on the coast of China protecting US interests. She then returned to the Philippines where she was decommissioned in 1909. She was recommissioned in 1912 and worked with submarines based in the Philippines until she was decommissioned for the last time in 1919. She was sold for scrapping in 1923.

USS Terror was laid down in 1874, launched in March 1883, and commissioned in April 1886. During the Spanish-American War she served off Cuba and took part in the capture of Puerto Rico. After the war she served as a practice ship for the Naval Academy from 1901 until 1905, when she was decommissioned. She was stricken in December 1915 and was subsequently used as a test hulk. She was sold for scrapping in 1921 but sank off the coast of New York before she was. The wreck was finally raised and scrapped during the early 1930s.

USS Miantonomoh was laid down in June 1874, launched in December 1876, and commissioned in October 1882. However, she was not completed until 1891. From 1891 until 1895 she undertook various training duties with the Naval Militia and the target service. She was then decommissioned until the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, during which she served off Cuba. She was decommissioned again from 1899 until April 1907 when she took part in the Jamestown Exposition. She was then decommissioned and laid up until 1915, at which point she was used as a target. She was stricken in December 1915 and sold for scrapping in 1922.

USS Puritan.

The characteristics of the USS Puritan are:

• Displacement: 6,060 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 296ft 3in (90.3m)
• Beam: 60ft 2in (18.4m)
• Draught: 18ft (5.5m)
• Propulsion: 8 x cylindrical boilers providing steam to 2 x horizontal compound steam engines, each powering a propeller
• Speed: 12.4 knots
• Complement: 200
• Armament: 2 x 2 x 12-inch (305mm)/30 breech-loading rifled guns; 6 x 4-inch (102mm) breech-loading rifled guns; 6 x 6-pounder (57mm) Hotchkiss quick-firing guns
• Armour:
• Side: 14-inch (360mm)
• Turret: 8-inch (200mm)
• Barbette: 14-inch (360mm)
• Deck: 2-inch (51mm)

USS Amphitrite.

USS Monadnock.

USS Terror.

USS Miantomomoh.

The characteristics of the Amphitrite-class are:

• Displacement: 3,990 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 262ft (80m)
• Beam: 55ft 6in (16.92m)
• Draught: 14ft 6in (4.2m)
• Propulsion: 4 x single-ended boilers providing steam to 2 x triple-expansion (USS Monadnock) or 2 x compound steam engines, each powering a propeller
• Speed: 12 knots
• Complement: 183
• Armament: 2 x 2 x 10-inch (250mm)/30 breech-loading rifled guns; 2 x 4-inch (102mm) breech-loading rifled guns; 4 x 6-pounder (57mm) quick-firing guns; 2 x 3-pounder (47mm) quick-firing guns; 7 x 1-pounder (37mm) quick-firing guns; 1 x 0.30-inch (7.6mm) Colt machine gun
• Armour:
• Side: 5 to 7-inch (127 to 180mm)
• Turret: 11.5-inch (290mm)
• Deck: 1.5-inch (44mm)

These monitors were supplemented by five ‘new’ ships (i.e. ships that Congress had actually voted to have built). These were the USS Monterey and the four vessels of the Arkansas-class.

A truly portable Portable Wargame

Last week, Daniel Weitz wrote a post on the Portable Wargame Facebook page about a portable ‘wargame in a box’ version of Mark Cordone’s recently developed HOPLITE Portable Wargame mini-campaign … and I was very impressed!

Daniel had created his boxed game using his 3D printer, and he has now added the printer files to the relevant part of the group Facebook page. From what I can gather, I was not the only person who was impressed with Daniel’s game and I understand that at least one other wargamer has 3D printed their own game.

I never cease to be impressed by the way in which other wargamers have taken my simple game concept and turned it into something incredible! May this long continue!

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Since I wrote this blog post, Daniel has now produced a boxed version of the PORTABLE NAPOLEONIC WARGAME ... which is even more impressive!

Daniel made the following point in a caption under the above photograph:

‘By standing the tiles on edge you have a 'Fog of War' as there are blanks. Artillery, cavalry and guns are of a slightly different size so that 'in the distance it looks like some horse, some foot and 'probably some guns' ... The French cannot see whether the British units are Elite, Line, Blanks or Poor until they start to move.’

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Please note that the photographs featured above are © Daniel Weitz.

The US Navy’s post-Civil War Monitors (Part 1)

At the end of the American Civil War the United States Navy had a total of four River Monitors, twenty-one Harbour Monitors, nineteen Coastal Monitors, and eleven Seagoing Monitors. The first two categories were disposed of in the years after the war ended.

The Coastal Monitors were the Passaic, Canonicus, and Milwaukee-classes. The ships of the latter class - which were riverine monitors capable of operating in coastal areas - were sold off by 1875, but the first two classes were kept in reserve and recommissioned during the Spanish-American War. With the exception of the USS Camanche - which was based in California - they were used to protect ports on the eastern coast of the United States from possible attacks by the Spanish Navy.

USS Camanche during the Spanish-American War.

The Passiac-class monitors (USS Passaic, USS Montauk, USS Nahant (renamed USS Atlas in June 1869 and reverted to her original name in August 1869), USS Sangamon (renamed USS Jason in June 1869), USS Patapsco (sunk by a mine in January 1865), USS Weehawken (sank during a gale in December 1863), USS Catskill (renamed USS Goliath in June 1869 and reverted to her original name in August 1869), USS Nantucket (renamed USS Medusa in June 1869 and reverted to her original name in August 1869), USS Lehigh, and USS Camanche) were improved versions of the USS Monitor. They were initially armed with one 15" and one 11" Dahlgren smooth-bore cannon or 8" Parrot gun in their single turret, but the 11" and 8" guns were later replaced by a second 15" one.

The Canonicus-class (USS Canonicus, USS Ajax (originally named USS Manyunk), USS Catawba (sold to Peru after completion and renamed Atahualpa), USS Mahopac (renamed USS Castor in June 1869 and reverted to her original name in August 1869), USS Manhattan (renamed USS Neptune in June 1869 and reverted to her original name in August 1869), USS Oneota (sold to Peru after completion and renamed Manco Capac), USS Saugus (renamed USS Centaur in June 1869 and reverted to her original name in August 1869), USS Tecumseh (sunk during the Battle of Mobile on 5th August 1864), USS Wyandotte (renamed USS Vesuvius in June 1869 and reverted to her original name in August 1869)) were improved versions of the Passiac-class monitors.

USS Lehigh.

The characteristics of the Passiac-class are:

• Displacement: 1,335 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 200ft (61m)
• Beam: 46ft (14m)
• Draught: 10ft 6in (3.2m)
• Propulsion: 2 x Martin boilers providing steam to a single-shaft Ericsson vibrating-lever steam engine
• Speed: 7 knots
• Complement: 75
• Armament (when built): 1 x 15-inch (380mm) muzzle-loading smooth-bore Dahlgren gun and 1 x 11-inch (280mm) muzzle-loading smooth-bore Dahlgren gun except for USS Lehigh and USS Patapsco which had 1 x 15-inch (380mm) muzzle-loading smooth-bore Dahlgren gun and 1 × 8-inch (200mm) muzzle-loading Parrott rifled gun and USS Camanche which had 2 x 15-inch (380mm) muzzle-loading smooth-bore Dahlgren guns
• Armour:
• Side: 3 to 5-inch (76 to 127mm)
• Turret: 11-inch (280mm)
• Deck: 1-inch (25mm)

USS Canonicus.

The characteristics of the Canonicus-class are:

• Displacement: 2,100 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 223 to 235ft (68 to 72m)
• Beam: 43 to 43ft 8in (13 to 13.31m)
• Draught: 13ft 6in (4.11m)
• Propulsion: 4 x boilers providing steam to a single-shaft vibrating-lever steam engine
• Speed: 8 knots
• Complement: 85
• Armament: 2 x 15-inch (380mm) muzzle-loading smooth-bore Dahlgren guns
• Armour:
• Side: 5-inch (127mm)
• Turret: 10-inch (254mm)
• Deck: 1.5-inch (38mm)

The eleven Seagoing Monitors were the USS Dictator, the USS Onondaga, the USS Puritan, the four Miantonomoh-class, and the four Kalamazoo-class.

The USS Dictator remained in service until 1877, and she was scrapped in 1883.

The USS Onondaga was sold back to her builder in 1867, who sold her to France. She remained in service (mostly in reserve) until she was sold in 1904 and scrapped in 1905.

The USS Puritan was never completed and was left on her building stock. By 1874 her hull had deteriorate and she underwent a ‘great repair’. In actuality, she was scrapped in 1874 and the money voted by Congress for her repair was used to build a new monitor with the same name.

The Miantomomoh-class (USS Miantomomoh, USS Agamenticus (renamed USS Terror in June 1869), USS Monadnock, and USS Tonawanda (renamed USS Amphitrite in June 1869)) were supposed to undergo ‘great repair’, but they were scrapped in 1874 and 1875 and the money used to build new monitors.

The Kalamazoo-class (USS Kalamazoo (renamed USS Colossus in June 1859), USS Passaconaway (renamed USS Thunderer in June 1859 and USS Massachusetts in August 1859), USS Quinsigamond (renamed USS Hercules in June 1859 and USS Oregon in August 1859), and USS Shackamaxon (renamed USS Hecla in June 1859 and USS Nebraska in August 1859)) were incomplete when the Civil War ended and were left on their building stocks. They were renamed in June 1869 and again in August 1869, but they remained there until they were scrapped in 1874 (USS Shackamaxon/Hecla/Nebraska) and 1884 (the remaining three ships of the class).

USS Dictator.

The characteristics of the USS Dictator are:

• Displacement: 4,438 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 312ft (95.1m)
• Beam: 50ft (15.2m)
• Draught: 20ft 6in (6.2m)
• Propulsion: 2 x vibrating-lever steam engines, each powering a propeller
• Speed: 10 knots
• Complement: 174
• Armament: 2 × 15-inch (380mm) muzzle-loading smooth-bore Dahlgren guns
• Armour:
• Side: 6-inch (152mm)
• Turret: 15-inch (381mm)
• Deck: 1.5-inch (38mm)
• Pilothouse: 12-inch (305mm)

The ex-USS Onondaga in French service.

The characteristics of the USS Onondaga are:

• Displacement: 2,592 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 226ft (68.9m)
• Beam: 50ft 5in (15.7m)
• Draught: 12ft (3.9m)
• Propulsion: 4 x water-tube boilers providing steam to 2 x back-acting steam engines, each powering a propeller
• Speed: 7 knots
• Complement: 130
• Armament: 2 x 15-inch (380mm) muzzle-loading smooth-bore Dahlgren guns and 2 x 150-pounder muzzle-loading Parrot rifled guns
• Armour:
• Side: 5.5-inch (140mm)
• Turret: 11-inch (279mm)
• Deck: 2-inch (51mm)

An artist's impression of how the USS Puritan would have looked had she been completed..

The characteristics of the USS Puritan (as designed) are:

• Displacement: 4,912 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 340ft (103.6m)
• Beam: 50ft (15.2m)
• Draught: 20ft (6.1m)
• Propulsion: 6 x Martin water-tube boilers providing steam to a two-cylinder vibrating-lever steam engine powering two propellers
• Speed: 15 knots
• Armament: 2 x 20-inch (508mm) muzzle-loading smooth-bore Dahlgren guns
• Armour:
• Side: 6-inch (152mm)
• Turret: 15-inch (381mm)
• Pilothouse: 12-inch (306mm)

A Miantomomoh-class monitor during the American Civil War.

The characteristics of the Miantonomoh-class are:

• Displacement: 3,400 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 258ft 6in (78.8m)
• Beam: 52ft 9in (16.1m)
• Draught: 12ft 8in (3.9m)
• Propulsion: Steam engines powering two propellers
• Speed: 10 knots
• Complement: 150 to 167
• Armament: 2 x 15-inch (380mm) muzzle-loading smooth-bore Dahlgren guns
• Armour:
• Side: 4.5-inch (114mm)
• Turret: 11-inch (279mm)
• Deck: 1.5-inch (38mm)
• Pilothouse: 8-inch (203mm)

An artist's impression of how the Kalamazoo-class monitors would have looked had they been completed.

The characteristics of the Kalamazoo-class (as designed) are:

• Displacement: 5,600 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 345ft 5in (105.3m)
• Beam: 56ft 8in (17.3m)
• Draught: 17ft 6in (5.3m)
• Propulsion: 8 x tubular boilers providing steam to 2 x two-cylinder horizontal direct-acting steam engines, each powering a propeller
• Speed: 10 knots
• Complement: 150 to 167
• Armament: 2 x 2 x 15-inch (380mm) muzzle-loading smooth-bore Dahlgren guns
• Armour:
• Side: 6-inch (152mm)
• Turret: 10 to 15-inch (254 to 381mm)
• Deck: 3-inch (76mm)