Fly Class Gunboat (Mesopotamia)

 Introduction

Many thanks to my gamer friends in Florida for encouraging me to dive into World War I and tackle gunboat builds. I didn’t know much about the Tigris and Euphrates campaigns initially, so I started researching and quickly became captivated. One of the standout reads was Warfare in the Garden of Eden by Kermit Roosevelt, kindly loaned by my friend Ethan, "The Mad Guru." Roosevelt, who fought alongside the British during this campaign, shares incredible firsthand accounts that shed light on the brutal realities of the war in Mesopotamia.

The Royal Navy faced daunting challenges on the Tigris—from tricky navigation with sandbars and rocks to Turkish traps along the riverbanks. This first, semi-fictional battle reimagines British and Allied forces advancing up the Tigris during the second reconquest toward Kut, Basra, and ultimately Baghdad. Reading about the Fly-class gunboat, designed to navigate Tigris shallows and support ground troops by tackling shoreline gun emplacements, inspired me to create my own version.

Here’s a blog documenting the build of my Fly-class gunboat model. I hope you enjoy the pictures and stories!

The Boat

This gunboat build is just the first of several in the works. With requests already coming in, I’m having the decks laser-cut to speed up the process. The boat features a distinctive deck layout, with a rounded disk-shaped area for the bow gun—an interesting design element that took some work to capture on this first hand-built model. I aimed to stay true to the Fly-class’s character while keeping it scaled slightly smaller than 28mm (using 5' to an inch) to ensure it fits well on most game tables.

In our first battle, the Firefly moved slowly up the Tigris to support the Allied left flank, adding a new dynamic to the scenario. I’m already planning the next scenario, featuring more gunboats engaging Turkish shore batteries—a return to some classic naval river actions!

Enjoy the build photos, and thanks for following along!

Last Stand Dan

The gunwales being secured to the deck and foam hull.

Under the deck glued to the foam base are magnets which allow the guns to "swivel."

The Fly Class had an added cabin aft which I also added. 

After soaking the basswood I bend it around the square stern of the boat. 

The boat has this Arch where the boiler/stack sits. Took a steady hand cutting this out. 

Here is the boiler where I used some soda can foil to cover it up.

Decks are stained and ready to be assembled.

Gluing it all down.

All of the ships fixtures are from TVAG by Patrick Wilson. The Vents, doors and new smoke stacks can be seen here.

Note the base between gun and ventilator. The Fly Class had a "crows nest" for navigation and to direct long range fire. 

The Crows Nest was made using those party poppers. I cut it in half and mounted it on a dowel. 

Getting it all secured. 

Good view of the completed boat. 4" on the bow and some 6pdrs on upper deck with a couple of Maxim Guns. The Fly class sported four Maxims but due to scale I used two.

One obvious feature with these boats were the "outhouses" on the stern. If you read some of the stories about dysentery and other horrors, these outhouses were always in use. 

Here is a shot with some smoke and flag added. Those are Woodbine British infantry used as Gun Crew.

That darn rounded gun deck. That is the best I could do. Both guns shown here have magnets under the decks. 

Good view of TVAGs Ventilators on upper and main deck.

And the final picture aft. These boats had a rear cabin added on some of the Fly Class boats.I really need to add some crates or on the fantail. Looks a little open. Hey maybe a Sun Shade or tarp over it. Hmm.