North American Campaign 190? - the background

At FLW HQ the Spring campaign begins ...

190?  GREAT WHITE FLEET – THE HALIFAX CAMPAIGN

The coming campaign is a typically Wellsian imaginary scenario, set around the coastal waters of Nova Scotia.  It will be played with Edwardian style toy ships, and proper toys soldiers. 

Situation

The British Empire is reeling following the Martian Invasion of 1898 and the German Invasion of 190?.  Following an unfortunate tariff war, the  United States has decided to attempt to annex Canada and make it the 47^th state.  Gosh.

Such a ridiculous scenario is indeed beyond our wildest imagination today.

 With the Empire stretched to breaking point, the United States has decided to attack the city and citadel of Halifax, Nova Scotia.  The Great White Fleet is going to war ...

the reality - a 1911 election poster raising the threat of annexation.  Sir Wilfred Laurier would lose to Sir Robert Borden.  Tariffs would be the key issue in this most hotly contested election.

Campaign Map

Map of Halifax, NS

The American (Navy/Red/White/Blue) pre dreadnought, USS Bluster 

The American ships (Red/White/Blue) have been given suitably ‘bullish’ Gilded Age names.  The Royal Navy and Canadian Naval Service ships (Red)  have more ‘whimsical’ names, that reflect this recessional moment in Britain’s Imperial fortunes – lest we forget ...

Navy Red

Barbette battleship – HMS Uncertain

Breastwork Battleship – HMS Torpid – Guard Ship Ironclad

Light Cruiser – HMS Languid

1 x TB Ram – HMS Thunderchild - the second

1 x TB

Armed trawler – the Doris

 

Navy Red/White/Blue

 Battleship – USS Bluster

Armoured Cruiser – USS Swank

Ram/Monitor – USS Queasy

2 x TB

1 x armed yacht – USS Plutocrat

Minelayer – USS Boom

Balloon barge

Land Forces

Red

HQ

Citadel – Garrison Artillery

Cyclists, Militia, Sappers, MG Coy

MT

 

Red White Blue

 HQ

Naval Battalion, Marines, MG Coy, Engineers

 

Campaign readiness - the Canadian Naval Service - stand to!

 There is much excitement in the 'true north' as the Canadian Naval Service prepares for action.  Following much debate, Prime Minister Laurier has launched his fleet.

For Canada and the Empire, from the Toronto Globe - PM Laurier at the helm.

Hearty chaps needed ...

they stand on guard, for thee!  Note the light cruiser in the background.

The Funny Little Fleets Canadian scout cruiser is cleared for action.

HMCS Niobe in dry dock

Campaign readiness - armoured cruiser

 The spring weather has arrived at FLW HQ, and the fleets are ready. The armoured cruiser has been rebuilt over the winter in a very rough homage to the New York, and is now ready to go  ...

The ship's company have now joined, and are set for the first encounter ...

The armoured cruiser can also be deployed with higher funnels - making it more like the Brooklyn.

North American Station - the refitted Barbette battleship

 Spring has arrived at FLW HQ, and the restored battleship is completed.  This ship is designed as an Edwardian Colonial coastal battleship - and again produced in comic scale, for use with 25mm figures.  The fleets are now nearly ready; just one more turret ship to be completed - and a balloon barge. It will then be time to go on campaign again.

Types of barbette ship

The ship is finished in the black hull, white superstructure and canary funnel.

The fleet at Halifax, Nova Scotia

North American Station - battleship - on the slipway

 The British/Canadian fleet needs a battleship for the eventual campaign, so a little rebuilding has been required.  The former Swedish (imaginary) turret ship the Gustav 4th has been refitted ...

here she is in action, sinking, in her last outing of the Herring War against JW's Norwegians.

Abandon ship!

Prior to her Swedish service, she was under the Danish flag as a Torpedo Ram - the weapon of the future.  Pictured here at the top of the photo, in 2013.

Again, she would be sunk, by the Norwegians under the command of TG!

Pictured here, at dusk as the Danes made a desperate attempt to break the blockade.

The latest version of this long serving ship will be as a Colonial coastal battleship.  There are high hopes of success this time, as the American accuracy - in their last outing at Santiago Bay - was rated at 1 - 3% of shots on target!

North American Station - British Squadron - scout cruiser

 The newly built Canadian Naval Service scout cruiser is launched and ready for action.  She is pictured here on her first outing.  The aim is to create an Edwardian toy ship effect, and the fittings' and fixtures are 28mm - the hull is considerably smaller.

The British squadron will be on the defensive, and the flagship will be a Colonial style barbette ship - based on HMVS Cerberus. The turrets have been swapped for the heavy Armstrong cannon.

Two torpedo boats and a couple of smaller axillaries make up the squadron.  

North American Station - shipyards and scales

 Well, winter quarters has arrived with the light failing before 18h in the metro 'FLW HQ'.  The coming campaign is a typically Wellsian imaginary scenario, set around the coastal waters of Nova Scotia.  It will be played with Edwardian style toy ships, and proper toys soldiers. 

Naval wargaming has always held a great fascination for me, and there are many different scales available.  For FLW, it is sadly impossible to go for 1/32 with ships, so a compromise has been to use a rough 28mm scale - for the figures. Even in this scale the ships would be impossibly long, so our dear friend TG came up with 'comic scale' - which gives all the attributes of the vessel type but in a stylised way.  This style really suits pre dreadnoughts and monitors &c.

As it is winter quarters, here is one of the Edwardian style ships at the yard.  It will be (roughly) the light cruiser HMCS Rainbow, of the new Canadian naval service ...

The model will require two funnels, and a pointed bow - and two main deck guns.

To begin, a suitable shape is required;

The hull will be formed from a wooden container, with an art board base to give that light cruiser ram bow.

Plastic card is now added to make the hull shape.

Deck and bridge structures are added.  The paint scheme will be a wartime dark grey - and this adds to the period feel of some ships in the Victorian/Edwardian white and buff and others in grey.  The Torpedo boats are always black.