Steamship (ETW Unit)

Steamship (ETW Unit)
Class	Steam Ship
Unit Size	114
Weaponry	31 guns
Morale
Melee Attack
Ranged Attack
Defence
Charge Bonus
Accuracy
Range
Ammunition
Region	Global
Recruitment Cost	1770
Upkeep Cost	440
Turns to Build
Unit Limit
Building Requirements	Steam Drydock
Technology Requirements	None
Attributes

Overview

By fitting a steam engine and all its machinery into an existing hull, naval architects hoped to create a ship-of-the-line not tied to the wind and tide. In this, they were moderately successful. A steamship can sail independently of the prevailing winds, but most still spend a good deal of time under sail. Coal is expensive, and coaling stations are few and far between; steam is not a practical method of strategic movement.

Tactically, however, it is a different story. With powerful guns, a steamship can out-manoeuvre any sailing ship. Admittedly, the idea of going into battle with a fire raging in the belly of his ship is not one that appeals to every captain. Boiler explosions are not entirely unknown either, as safety features are installed as the fancy takes the engineer, not as a matter of course. A stray shot through the engine room can also do terrible damage.

Historically, The conversion of ships of the line to steam was never going to be anything more than a stopgap measure. Steamships, with their dirt and smoke, were not popular with traditionally minded captains, particularly in the British Royal Navy. They expected obsessively high standards of neatness and cleanliness, with no soot and lubricating oil smeared over their nice clean ships.

Details

Steamships are available only to the industrial imperial powers such as Great Britain. They have the unique and powerful advantage of being able to travel even against the wind, although they still recieve speed bonuses if they sail with the wind. Steamships are versatile and reliable in all types of weather, although they do not carry the firepower of the larger ships of the line.

Although steamships lack the sheer number of cannon larger ships of the line possess, they are extremely powerful and will make short work of almost any target. Unfortunately, they are also shorter-ranged than most other cannons, forcing them to usually weather a salvo before they can engage (although this is usually not an issue due to the high mobility steamships have). Steamships still have sails and can still benefit from advantageous winds, although they depend much less on them than other ships.

Factions

• Great Britain