Name:    USS Springfield (USA)

Card:    SCS #093 (Common)

Points:  18

Masts: 3

Cargo: 2

Moves: S+S+S

Guns : 4S,4S,4S

Hit %: 100 (S), 0 (L)

Ability: Friendly ships within S of this ship get +1 to their cannon rolls.

All the other ships I've reviewed this week have had value-for-points scores up in the 4's, in large degree due to their speed. But just because a ship can move S+S+S doesn't automatically make it great, and here, unfortunately, is the exception to the rule.

The only reason this ship isn't among my Top Ten Worst Ships is because another American, the Hannah, is even worse than this one. The problem isn't her cargo, although it could surely be bigger. And it's not her cannons, although they could certainly be better. The problem is her absurd price tag. 18 points should buy you something devastating, like the Enterprise, Naegling, or Brachyura, not a ship with speed and nothing else. I mean, if you have to have a triple-S American ship with

2 cargo, get the Peacock for exactly half the cost of this one, plus better cannons.

If you really want to see what this ship can do, she has to stay very close to as many friendly fighting ships as she can. That means she's probably going to get in somebody's way once the fighting starts. If you just want a +1 for one ship, the USA has two crew that will give you a world-hater (+1 against everybody who doesn't look like you) for 4 points, not 18. I'll never know why WizKids thought this ship's ability is worth so much, because it ain't. Sorry, it isn't.

I used this ship once, and she served me well as a gold ship. But that was in a game where we each got a free ship (see

http://www.cke1st.com/Games/Batl_2009.htm#Batl_20090331 for details), not a normal game where point values are important. In any normal game, the USS Springfield can't possibly be worth what you pay for her.

Goldship rating: 4.0 / 5

Gun Ship rating: 2.4 / 5

Boarding rating: 3.5 / 5

Support  rating: 4.0 / 5

Value for points: 1.2 / 5