The Ironclads!

From L - R: USS Canonicus, USS Monadnock, & USS Lexington.

From L - R: CSS Manassas, CSS Virginia II, & CSS Gaines.

Just for a change from Hetzenberg, here are some of the American Civil War Ironclad models used at our club in New Buckenham. The vessels are resin models from Old Glory built and painted by Paul Cotton, and are scaled at 10mm. A note to purists - some of these ships never saw action in real life. For instance the Monadnock was completed, but was used as a floating battery because her three turrets made her unweildy. On the original plans she was scheduled to have four but reason prevailed. The Virginia II was one of many Confederate Ironclads burnt on her slipway to prevent capture by the oncoming Union army. Our games therefore have more than a whiff of what if... about them.

For those interested we use the "Beer & Pretzels" rules. These give a good fun game which can be fought to a clear result in an evening. In the encounter game featuring the above ships, the Confederacy got royally trashed. Manassas rammed Monadnock but failed to inflict killing damage. Instead the 15" Dahlgren guns in the three turrets of her victim inflicted a brutal fire that sent her under in a matter of minutes. The "woodenclad" Lexington and Virginia II destroyed each other in a head-on collision. Paul was commanding the Lexington, and before he rolled the 20-sided dice for ramming damage he uttered the fatal words -

"Anything but a 19 or 20!"

He got a 20...

The only Confederate survivor was the CSS Gaines, ironically the lightest armored vessel in the squadron. She handed out useful damage to the Canonicus, without suffering much in return. With her squadron mates sunk, she decided discretion was the better part of valor and withdrew.

The South shall rise again!