"A tramp steamer was a type of ship, powered by steam, which took part in the tramp style of ocean trading. These ships were common around the turn of the last century but essentially vanished as coal began to be replaced by diesel as the fuel of choice for sea travel in the middle of the 20th century. These ships had a certain mystique and aura of adventure about them. This adventurous spirit lives on to some extent in modern tramp freighters although small independent freighters have grown much less common.
The tramp trade is one part of the system of seafaring commerce. Much of the world's cargo has always been hauled on fixed schedules. That was true in 1900 and is even truer today as shipping has come to be dominated by large firms with carefully planned schedules. Carefully planned trade cannot respond perfectly to every market demand, and small or unusual orders are especially hard to predict and deliver using this model of trade.
Tramp trade relies on the unscheduled shuttling of cargo from port to port. A tramp steamer would load whatever cargo happened to have the best profit margin from sale or shipping fees and take it to the port where that cargo was needed. The tramp steamer would then load whatever cargo needed to be hauled from this new port of call."
"This Tramp Steamer will suggest hundreds of exciting scenarios for your Colonial Wars, World War One, and Adventure Games. Designed to be small enough to fit on the game table, yet large enough to be impressive – to allow a small army on its decks."
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Hope you enjoy!.
Amicalement
Armand