First Iron Melee at Steeltopia

Our last Iron Melee was conducted in Steeltopia, which inspired quite a number of ideas as to what ICS may be capable of in the future. It was the pirate team attacking, trying to land infantry on the beach while the navy went on the defense with coastal guns and ironclads. Once the pirates landed, the navy forces abandoned the gun emplacements and repelled the invaders with small arms fire in the streets.

For those of you who don't know, Iron Melees are battles consisting of ICS vehicles and sometimes MMCS infantry. The first Iron Melees started on Port Merrimac in Roatan, off the coast of the Isle of Lilliput in the United Sailing Sims. So far they have mainly been naval affairs, however with infantry added into the mix we are starting to see more land based scenarios.

I would like to go through a scenario I envisioned while exploring Steeltopia, one which would encompass all or many of the aspects of ICS that I would like to see in the future

• Land (tank, cavalry, buggy and other forms of land transportation)
• Air (reconnaissance, fighters, bombers, airship carriers)
  
• Sea (ironclads, wooden vessels, transports, and aircraft carriers)
• Undersea (submarines, underwater mines)
  
• Artillery (flak guns, coastal batteries, field guns, gatling gun placements)
• Infantry (riflemen, sappers, medics, commanders)
• Buildings (used for capturing or destroying in order to meet an objective)

This scenario could have two teams vying for control of the region, with capture points they would need to secure in order to move to the next area. The fighting could start in the streets, with one team trying to dig in deeper into the city (we will call this team the imperials) while another team tries to push them back and also look for an escape (they may be trying to transport a secret document, or an important hostage like the mayor. This team will be called the terrorists)

If the imperials keeps pushing them back far enough, the terrorists may need to retreat further into the city. If however the terrorists manage to slip past or breakthrough they can load a transport with their hostage or important document and try to make their way across the bay



From here the scenario would switch to a naval role as coastal guns, ironclads and submarines could be deployed in order to sink the transport or to defend it. If the terrorists manage to reach the dam, the fighting would again switch to the infantry. The terrorists would need to fight their way to the elevator to reach the upper level.


If the terrorists manage to make it to the top of the dam, the imperials could deploy tanks and other armored units, as they no longer have to deal with the confined areas in the city.


The final objective would then be in sight. The terrorists would need to make it to the train station and secure it. Once secured, they would use it to make off with the hostage or important document, thus ending the match!


So in a nutshell, the terrorists need to transport their cargo from point A to B to C etc etc until they make it to the final point in which they win the match. The imperials job would be to prevent them from making it all the way to the last point. If they can kill all the terrorists or retrieve/destroy the cargo they then win the match.

(Note: All these shots were taken while I was at Steeltopia , so naturally this would be an excellent place to stage such an operation)

Other elements of warfare I did not mention but could be added into this scenario...

• Capturing certain points in the city could spawn ammo and health crates for the occupying units
  

• Imperial airship could drop paratroopers into the city. Terrorists may deploy fighters to destroy it, thus adding aerial combat into the mix

• Imperials could mine the bay with explosives, thus impeding the transport making it's way to the damn

• The dam entrance could be blocked, requiring terrorist sappers to remove the obstructions

• Imperials could airlift tanks on the upper area above the dam to help defend the train station

• Gatling guns could be placed around the perimeter of the train station, requiring terrorist sharpshooters to take them out

This is what I would eventually like to see. A combat system that incorporates everything and can be used to create epic battles like this one. If we can get more developers and coordinators involved in this, we can have all the Steampunk and Victorian sims participate and have full scale nation vs nation battles. This of course will require more people, as we at Murakami Steamworks can only do so much on our own...

The Sinking and Raising of the CSS HUNLEY

Life on board a Monitor Ship

We all know what these ships looked like, and how fun they are to play with in Second Life, but what about the experiences of the RL crewmen of these historic ships?

Life on board an Ironclad could be distinctly unpleasant. Imagine being inside a thick heated metal pot that could reach 155 degrees in some areas, eating rather heavy food, and having to perform very hard physical work even in non-stressful situations. An excellent overview of daily life for an Ironclad Sailor is presented at the Mariner's Museum in Newport News, Virginia. THE MONITOR CENTER (more on her in a future article) has elements of the actual ship MONITOR (risen from the depths off North Carolina) as well as an extensive museum on ironclad ship construction, combat and daily life. A very nice of artifacts taken from the Monitor wreck allow the visitor to garner a glimpse into everyday life for a 19th century sailor.

The web presentation for LIFE ABOARD A MONITOR SHIP is worth a view.

Here is a nice web presentation on the Construction of the Monitor.

Ship Profile: USS Essex

This is the first in a series on this journal. We will be outlining the historic ships that we are offering up as product lines, their build history, combat records, and ultimate fate.

USS ESSEX
Union Casemate Ironclad

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USS Essex, a 1000-ton ironclad river gunboat, was converted in stages from the steam ferry New Era. Originally constructed at New Albany, Indiana, in 1856, the ship was purchased in September 1861 by the U.S. Army for its Western Gunboat Flotilla. Modified into a 355-ton "timberclad" gunboat, and retaining the name New Era, she took part in an expedition up the Cumberland River in November 1861. Renamed Essex soon thereafter, she received iron armor and other changes and was then actively employed in operations during early 1862, engaging Confederate gunboats near Lucas Bend, Missouri, on 11 January. On 6 February, she was badly damaged by enemy gunfire during an attack on Fort Henry, Tennessee.

During subsequent repairs, Essex' Commanding Officer, William D. Porter, spared little expense (albeit without official authorization) in upgrading his ship into one of the most powerful ironclads on the Western Rivers. Lengthened, widened, reengined, rearmored and completely altered in appearance, Essex was back in service in time for operations against Vicksburg, Mississippi, in July. On the 22th of that month she ran past the enemy fortress city, engaging and damaging the Confederate ironclad Arkansas along the way. After joining Rear Admiral Farragut's squadron as the only Federal ironclad on the lower Mississippi, she helped repel an attack on Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on 5 August and was instrumental in the destruction of the Arkansas the next day.

Essex was formally transferred to the Navy in October 1862 and remained active on the rivers through the rest of the Civil War. She bombarded Port Hudson, Louisiana, and helped with the occupation of Baton Rouge in December 1862. In May-July 1863 she participated in the capture of Port Hudson. She took part in the Red River expedition in March-May 1864. Essex was decommissioned in July 1865. After her sale to private interests in November of that year, she reverted to the name New Era. She was scrapped in 1870.



Murakami Steamworks' USS Essex fighting an Aphid Aether Frigate in Second Life