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Monday, October 28, 2024

North Carolina Mosquito Fleet of 1862

I am looking to make some scenarios featuring the North Carolina Mosquito fleet and their actions from June 1861 till their destruction in February of 1862. The actions tick several boxes on things I enjoy. They are largely erzatz vessels rather than purpose built warships and it is very early in the conflict before the tactics and technology truely caught up to one another. The Union fleets will be very large. But the nice thing is, many of the vessels match up with vessels that may already be in people's collections since they were involved in the Battle of Hampton Roads in March 1862. Two of the smaller vessels of the Confederate Fleet at Hampton Roads are survivors of the Mosquito Fleet - the only two survivors.

I started on the Confederate Fleet first. In total, there are eleven vessels in the Mosuito Fleet. Their job was to protect the North Carolina Sounds and supply the forts on the barrier islands. In order to get this done, i have been searching Wargames Vault and Wargaming3D for suitable models. I think I have much of it figured out. Maybe.....

Ship NameImagePossible ModelNotes
Sea BirdNoneLFG CSS ToscaroraFlagship
BeaufortNoneECIC Generic Tugboat SetAlso part of Hampton Roads set.
Fanny
ECIC Generic Tugboat Set
Appomattox
TRM Union or Confederate Transport ModifiedOriginal model is a stern wheeler while this is a screw steamer.
Ellis
ECIC Generic Tugboat Set (Modified)
Black WarriorNoneHagen Miniatures Schooner
ForrestNone????Described as a former canal steamer.
Junaluska
ECIC Generic Tugboat Set
Curlew
LFG CSS SamsonA decent match but the main deck under the bridge needs to be closed in.
Raliegh
ECIC Generic Tugboat SetAlso part of Hampton Roads set.
WinslowNoneLFG SamsonDescribed as a sidewheeler tug.
Acronymns:
ECIC = East Coast Ironclads, they sell on Wargaming3D.
LFG = Long Face Games, They sell on Wargames Vault.
TRM = The Raft Miniatures, They sell on Wargaming3D.

The images above are taken from the Wikipedia articles for the vessel or from https://underbothflags.ncdcr.gov/ for the Appomattox.

Several models need modification in order to match the vessel more closely. The Ellis needs a cut down supertructure to match. These modifications may be what I go with to model the Forrest. The Black Warrior is a sailing schooner and the only vessel that is not a steam ship of the fleet. The Hagen Miniatures model is the only physical model in the above list. The rest are all STL files.At this point, I have built and painted only the Beaufort and the Raliegh. I have purchased the miniatures for the Sea Bird, Fanny, Appomattox, Junaluska, Curlew, and Winslow. I will buy the Schooner from Hagen at somepoint as I really like their miniatures. I have several for my Age of Sail games.

I will update based on any new findings. I did pick up a great book on the Curlew by Christopher Olson. He has drawings of the Curlew that makes the Sampson a good match for a model. The differences are minor enough that I should be able to modify it in TinkerCad, provided the model creator gives me permission.

A Big shout out to Thomas at The Raft Miniatures who did give permission to modify his model to make the Appomattox. I have purchased the model and now need to play with it in Tinkercad. Thank You!

I have a big thank you to give to East Coast Ironclads when it comes time to work on the Union Order of Battle.

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