From:PeterD European Coalition Squadron (22 points)

For my second post this week I have a squadron of ships from a European coalition formed in response to American aggressions against the North American colony of a European nation in 1898.  The Long Face Game campaign pack for the Spanish American War allows for Europeans to come to the aid of the Spanish.  There is a coalition squadron that can cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean and an German Asian squadron that can operate in the Philippines.  Historically, Spain was on its own.  However, the German Asian squadron did enter into a long staring match with Admiral Dewey in Manilla Bay.

First up the German Battleships Wörth (with VizAdmiral flag) and Brandenburg. These were half of the German Navy's first class of pre dreadnought battleships.  This pair survived into WW1, but were disarmed and converted to accommodation ships during the conflict. Their two   two ships were sold to Turkey in 1910 and had had more "interesting" late careers.  They lost a couple of battles to the Greek fleet in the Balkan Wars, and one was torpedoed by a British submarine during the Gallipoli campaign.  The Germans had no great connection with the Spanish, but were also keen to pick up any colonial crumbs that might fall their way.

Next two Austrian sister ships,  the protected cruisers Kaiser Franz Josef I and Kaiser Elisabeth named after the ruling Kaiser and his wife (there's an entertaining rabbit hole to fall down looking into the succession to Franz Josef).  The Habsburgs were closely connected to the Spanish royal family and wanted to help.  But they needed other nations' support, which in the end wasn't coming.   Another Austrian cruiser stumbled onto the end of the Battle of Santiago and nearly got attacked by the US Navy.

Then we move onto the French Navy, with the battleship Charles Martel, the armoured cruiser Bruix and the protected cruisers Linois and Lavoisier.   French naval designs were specularly bizarre in this period with exaggerated ram bows and tumbled home, odd turret placements and heavy military masts.  Sylvain likened spar torpedos to Space Orb weapons, and I think these ships are one that the Imperium could have produced.  I'm not sure but I've heard that absinthe makes the brain grow softer.  Tumbling Dice do fine model ships, but I don't think that 1;2400 really does these justice, so have include pictures of the Charles Martel and Bruix.

Charles Martel nose on, showing the tumblehome and fierce face military masts.  Note the Quick firers in the fighting top, wouldn't want to work those in a fight.

Bruix at anchor, note the shape of the bow and the general Steampunk look.

The flat grey shows off the Charles Martel's lozenge turret arrangement.  Russian ships with similar tall superstructures were lit up by Japanese quick firers at Tsushima.

Finally the Italians, the armoured cruiser Marco Polo and the protector cruisers Umbria and Lombardia.  The Marco Polo was considered under armed and the two protected cruisers a bit slow.  Umbria was stationed in South America in 1896, losing half her crew to yellow fever.

I make that eleven ships (two German, two Austrian, four French and three Italian), good for 22 points and just short of a full squirrel.  I have the German Asian squadron on the work bench to flesh out the squirrel. 

From DaveD . Peters second bite of the cherry today . That’s an interesting assortment of ships indeed l agree the French certainly have a dystopian steampunk vibe about them . Put them on a flight stand and they would not look out of place .22 it is .