General information

The transport ships in the game are universal. We create models based on real vessels that sailed under different flags in the seas and oceans, but they can be used in any fleet. Considering the similarity of many transport ships of the era, and – after all – the secondary role they gameplay – it should be an understandable decision. So when you buy, for example, Hitachi Maru, you can put it in any fleet, not only in Japan.

6th Era – predrednoughts

GMT-TRA-001 Transport ship Arizona

Class: 3.
Base length: 14 cm.
Color scheme: Standard American war scheme.
Models in a set: 1.
Models on one base: 1.
Cards in a set: 1

The Arizona was a record breaking British passenger liner that was the first of the Guion Line’s Atlantic Greyhounds on the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route. One nautical historian called Arizona “a souped up transatlantic hot rod.”Entering service in 1879, she was the prototype for Atlantic express liners until the Inman Line introduced its twin screw City of New York in 1889. The Arizona type liner is generally considered as unsuccessful because too much was sacrificed for speed. Laid up in 1894 when Guion stopped sailings, Arizona was sold four years later and briefly employed in the Pacific until she was acquired by the US Government for service in the Spanish–American War. As the U.S. Navy’s Hancock she continued trooping through W.W.I. and was finally scrapped in 1926.

It is a fast ship, with great durability, so it will not be easy and quick to sink it. It will definitely be a good choice as a transport ship in the player’s fleet.

The transport ships in the game are universal, the same models can be used by any fleet.

GMT-TRA-002 Transport ship Hitachi Maru

Class: 3.
Base length: 14 cm.
Color scheme: Black sides, white upperworks, black chimney.
Models in a set: 1.
Models on one base: 1.
Cards in a set: 1

The Hitachi Maru was a 6,172 gross ton combined passenger-cargo ship built by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding in Nagasaki, for NYK Lines in 1898. She was requisitioned in 1904 by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Russo-Japanese War.

The greatest advantage of the Hitachi Maru is its speed, which is very high for a transport ship. It will allow you to try to bypass many enemy ships, e.g. during a convoy escort mission.

The transport ships in the game are universal, the same models can be used by any fleet.

GMT-TRA-003 Transport ship SS Columbia

Class: 3.
Base length: 14 cm.
Color scheme: Black sides, white upperworks, black or ochre chimney.
Models in a set: 1.
Models on one base: 1.
Cards in a set: 3

SS Columbia was a commercial passenger ship, which served later as an Spanish auxiliary cruiser Rapido, and Russian auxiliary cruiser Terek. She was launched on 27 February 1889 and was delivered to Hamburg America Line soon thereafter.

On 8 April 1898, the Spanish Navy purchased Columbia from Hamburg America for Spanish–American War service as an auxiliary cruiser. Armed and renamed Rapido, she was commissioned on 20 April 1898. Rapido became part of the relief expedition for the Philippines. The war ended in August 1898 without Rapido seeing combat.

Due to her size, speed and hull points, this vessel can play many roles in the player’s fleet.

The set includes cards for three versions of this ship, as the Rapido, the Russian auxiliary cruiser Terek and the passenger ship Columbia.

GMT-TRA-004 Transport ship SS Clan MacCay

Class: 3.
Base length: 10 cm.
Color scheme: Black sides, white upperworks, black or ochre chimney.
Models in a set: 1.
Models on one base: 1.
Cards in a set: 1

Clan MacKay was a cargo steamship that was built in 1894, had a fifty-year career under successive British, Australian, Chinese and Greek owners, was captured by Japan in the Second World War, and sunk by a United States Navy submarine in 1944.

She was built in England for the Clan Line as Clan Mackay. 

The three sister ships were built as yard numbers 227, 228 and 229 and launched in 1894 as Clan Ross, Clan Campbell and Clan Mackay. Clan Mackay was the last of the three, being launched on 31 October 1894 and completed that December. They were the first Clan Line ships to be built with a straight stem instead of a clipper bow.

Clan Mackay’s registered length was 95.1 m, her tonnages were 2,600 GRT and 1,665 NRT. She was propelled by a single screw, powered by a three-cylinder triple-expansion engine, providing her with a speed of approximately 13 knots.

In September 1899 Clan Mackay was involved in a collision, as a consequence of which she was beached. She was repaired and returned to service.

The Clan MacKay was a fairly typical, small transport vessel of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its size and decent speed will make it a valuable addition to the fleet of any player. Its greatest value, however, lies in its incredible 50-year history, culminating in its service during ww2 as a Japanese “hell ship,” used to transport Allied PoWs.

SS Warrimoo

Class: 3.
Base length: 10 cm.
Color scheme: Black sides, white upperworks, black or ochre chimney.
Models in a set: 1.
Models on one base: 1.
Cards in a set: 1

THIS MODEL WAS A SPECIAL PRIZE DURING THE POLISH CHAMPIONSHIPS – IT IS NOT INTENDED FOR REGULAR SALE.

SS Warrimoo was a passenger and refrigerated cargo liner that was launched in 1892 in England for Australian owners.

In 1895, the famous writer Mark Twain was a passenger aboard the SS Warrimoo. Beneath a photo taken of him on the ship’s deck, he famously wrote, “Be good and you will be lonesome.” However, the most remarkable event in the history of the ship occurred a few years later.

On December 31, 1899, as SS Warrimoo was once more making the crossing from Vancouver to Sydney, the ship was just a few nautical miles from the intersection of the equator and the date line. Captain John Duthie Sydney Phillips ordered his crew to steer the ship toward the meeting point of both lines. SS Warrimoo at the stroke of midnight found itself right across the aforementioned intersection, her bow pointing south and her stern facing north. This action placed her bow in the Southern Hemisphere in summer on 1 January 1900, her stern in the Northern Hemisphere in winter on 31 December 1899. She would therefore have been simultaneously in two different seasons (winter and summer), in two different hemispheres, on two different days, in two different months, in two different years, in two different decades, in two different centuries. (The “centuries” referred to by the writer would be the 1800s and the 1900s, rather than the customary 19th and 20th centuries.).

GMT-TRA-005 Transport ship Effie M. Morrissey

Class: 4.
Base length: 6 cm.
Color scheme: Black sides, white upperworks, brown masts, white sails.
Models in a set: 1.
Models on one base: 1.
Cards in a set: 1

This famous schooner, named after the captain’s daughter, was launched in 1894 in Gloucester, Maine—a renowned fishing town from which the heroes of the book and film The Perfect Storm embarked on their final voyage. Morrissey was designed to withstand the harsh weather conditions of the North Atlantic. On her maiden voyage, the crew managed to catch around 91 tons of fish, covering the ship’s construction costs.

Throughout her long history, Morrissey has served as a fishing schooner, research vessel, and merchant ship. Finally, in the late 20th century, she was listed as a National Historic Landmark, a role she continues to fulfil today.

In the game, Morrissey appears in her original configuration, without an engine—her only means of propulsion are her sails.

GMT-TRA-006 Belem barque

Class: 4.
Base length: 8 cm.
Color scheme: Black hull with a white line at the level of the (fake) gunports, and white railings and superstructures.
Models in a set: 1.
Models on one base: 1.
Cards in a set: 1

Belem is a French three-masted barque, launched in 1896. She displaces around 750 tons and measures 58 metres in length. Originally built as a cargo ship for the West Indies sugar trade, her sleek hull and full rig allowed her to carry significant cargo while remaining fast under sail (up to 12 knots).

Belem began her career transporting sugar and cocoa between the Caribbean and France. In 1901, while en route to the West Indies, she narrowly avoided disaster when the eruption of Mount Pelée destroyed the town of Saint-Pierre on Martinique; Belem was anchored safely in a nearby port and thus escaped the catastrophe.

In 1972 she was purchased for preservation and underwent extensive restoration, returning to her original glory as a sail training ship. Since then, she has participated in numerous sail training programs and maritime festivals, offering hands-on experience of classic sailing to generations of enthusiasts.

Her speed, manoeuvrability and compact size, as well as her graceful silhouette, will make her a splendid addition to any player’s fleet. She will be a perfect ship for any auxiliary missions.

STS Lwów

Class: 4.
Base length: 6 cm.
Color scheme: Black hull with a white line at the level of the gunports, and white railings and superstructures – or an entirely white hull (during her later service).
Models in a set: 1.
Models on one base: 1.
Cards in a set: 1

THIS MODEL WAS A SPECIAL PRIZE DURING THE POLISH CHAMPIONSHIPS – IT IS NOT INTENDED FOR REGULAR SALE.

STS Lwów was a ship of great importance to the history of the Polish fleet. She was launched in 1868 as Chinsura and was one of the first steel-hulled sailing ships.
In 1883 she was bought by the Italians and renamed Lucco, and in 1915 by the Dutch, who named her Nest.
In the summer of 1920, she was purchased for the newly established Maritime School in Tczew and converted into a training ship. A steam engine was added, allowing her to reach a speed of up to 6 knots. Since special models in the game must have the same statistics as other models, Lwów is represented with sail propulsion only.
The Polish flag was raised on the ship on 4 September 1921.
For many years, Lwów served as a training vessel. One of her captains was the famous Mamert Stankiewicz, known from the book Znaczy Kapitan (The Captain’s Word). She was the first Polish ship to cross the equator.
In 1930, her ensign was ceremonially transferred to Dar Pomorza, and Lwów was converted into a hulk. In 1938, she was scrapped.
A tradition was born aboard Lwów of addressing the commander of a training sailing ship as Komendant rather than Captain. This was because there was always more than one master mariner aboard. The custom continues to this day.