Suitably pulpy ships.

[Will Bailie]

The recent Guy Richie/Henry Cavill movie 'Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare' is great pulpy fun, and features this trawler used to insert the raiders into the West African port of Fernando Po.  Movie ship on top, real historical inspiration below.  If that's not inspiration for pulp adventure, I don't know what is!



https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/ministry-of-ungentlemanly-warfare/

[Aethelflaeda was framed]

The great thing about a schooner over a tramp steamer, is that you can set it in games from the 1860s-1960s and no one bats an eye. I’ll bet more gunrunning and smuggling was done from these than tramps due to the shallow drafts.

[Moriarty]

As you obviously have too much free time, why not both a schooner -and- a steamer?
I’d warrant tug boats would not be a thing (unless one got lost going up and down the Clyde) unless large ships were calling at Ascension.
Is now a good time to mention the distance from Africa (nearest land mass) to Ascension, and the insufficient range of smaller aircraft?
;-p

[anevilgiraffe]

See any coasts to follow on the map from Lisbon to Newfoundland?  The best you can hope for is a stop over in Iceland.

that's what I meant, rather than going straight across the Atlantic. I thought they were more following coastline vessels, like viking longboats, sure they could do open sea, but were primarily coastal.

[FifteensAway]

Schooner, sir.  The tramp steamer would have to be so much BIGGER.  Ascension doesn't seem big enough to warrant a tramp steamer.  Of, course, I have in the wings a few tramp steamers abuilding for a pulp game of my own set in the Banana Wars - though, mostly, as 'scenery'.  Easier for me being in 15 mm.

Whatever you decide, I expect we'll all be agog at what you do with card and whatever riff-raff you have lying about. 

[Andy in Germany]

Wow, thanks for all the thoughts and ideas...

https://www.diffordsguide.com/encyclopedia/417/people/rum-runners

It was this story that got me thinking about Schooners...

The word 'schooner' merely describes the rigging pattern of a vessel. They could be small or quite large. As they were a feature of fishing fleets of various nations on the Grand Banks and some of the most storm laden parts of the North Atlantic, there's no reason why a vessel of that type shouldn't pop up in the South Atlantic.

Schooner, sir.  The tramp steamer would have to be so much BIGGER.  Ascension doesn't seem big enough to warrant a tramp steamer.  Of, course, I have in the wings a few tramp steamers abuilding for a pulp game of my own set in the Banana Wars - though, mostly, as 'scenery'.  Easier for me being in 15 mm.

Whatever you decide, I expect we'll all be agog at what you do with card and whatever riff-raff you have lying about. 

As you obviously have too much free time, why not both a schooner -and- a steamer?

Interestingly, when I asked this question on a railway based forum, someone suggested The SS Robin, link here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Robin. This is a Schooner rigged tramp steamer, and would be 800mm long in 28mm scale.

Also, 'my' version of Ascension is a major transport hub; Europe and South America are in a trade war, but they still want trade without losing face. Ascension is one of several islands declared 'free Ports' where cargoes are transshipped from a ship permitted to go into the port of the originating country and reloaded on a ship to take them on to their destination, so there would be a stack of tramp steamers coming into the port. Ascension isn't alone in this; there's some competition from places like Barbados and Martinique, and like those islands, it's a boom town.

Is now a good time to mention the distance from Africa (nearest land mass) to Ascension, and the insufficient range of smaller aircraft?
;-p

Sshh... I'm hoping no-one will notice, least of all the Ambassador...

[Cat]

Go upscale with a steam yacht, they have masts for auxilliary use but mostly for show.  Owners tend to use them for local coastline cruising, but they are built to handle long sea voyages.  Some were used for deep-sea fishing.
 
Take USS Sylph for example.  During the war, this was converted to an anti-submarine patrol yacht.  Ernest Borgnine served on this ship and had the duty of smuggling alcohol on board for the rest of the crew.
: 3
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sylph_(PY-12)

[Moriarty]

Just had a look at the Sylph - looks a sweetie!

[FifteensAway]

Had a look at the Robin and the Sylph - definitely the Robin since it is a good deal shorter, though a hybrid might be fun.  And glad to find the Robin since it fits well with my plans and comes in for 15 mm at about 16-17" length versus the 31 1/2" for 28 mm.  That 16-17" is perfect for me.

[Cat]

Steam Yachts come in quite a variety of sizes.  SY Intrepid/Sylph always pops to mind first for the real life McHale's Navy angle.
 
SY Quest lived up to her name and comes in under 111' with nice low-slung pulpy lines:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quest_(ship)

[frd]

You all make me want to work on making a schooner now... and I still haven't finished my previous two ships (a tramp steamer and a Eastern-Rig fishing boat - some pics below).

As for pulpy boats - I'm also thinking of making a paddle steamer to use in African and South American adventures, as those would still be used in 1920s/30s.

[carlos marighela]

Those are fabulous looking craft!

[Aethelflaeda was framed]

You could have a scenario about pushing the paddle steamer over a mountain to bring opera to the jungle beyond.

[shadowbeast]

The recent Guy Richie/Henry Cavill movie 'Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare' is great pulpy fun, and features this trawler used to insert the raiders into the West African port of Fernando Po.  Movie ship on top, real historical inspiration below.  If that's not inspiration for pulp adventure, I don't know what is!



https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/ministry-of-ungentlemanly-warfare/

?

The great thing about a schooner over a tramp steamer, is that you can set it in games from the 1860s-1960s and no one bats an eye. I’ll bet more gunrunning and smuggling was done from these than tramps due to the shallow drafts.

Not to mention secret missions..

[anevilgiraffe]

did you make that steamer from scratch?