Name:    USS Oregon (USA)

Card:    OE #088 (Uncommon)

Points:  12

Masts: 4

Cargo: 4

Moves: S

Guns : 3S,3S,3L,3L

Hit %: 200 (S), 100 (L)

Ability: Schooner. Once per turn, this ship may move S after loading treasure.

With an ability like this, it looks like WizKids was trying to make a four-masted gold schooner for the Americans. They did a fine job on similar ships for the Pirates (RV Neptune's Hoard) and the Spanish (La Santa Isabel), but this one fails. Gold ships need to be fast.

Sure, you can load a Helmsman on her and boost her speed to S+S, plus another S when she turns for home after loading. But that extra move will come into play only once or twice in a typical battle, so it isn't that big a deal. A better move might be to use her as a combo ship, with Captain, Helmsman, and two empty cargo spaces. She'd head for the central islands, the ones that get fought over, accompanied by your fighting ship. Once there, she'd load the two best coins she could find, turn back and transfer them to some other ship, and then think "fighter"

for the rest of the battle.

The trouble is, the Americans have plenty of other ships in this point range that can do the same thing, and do it better or faster. USS Hudson, USS Louisiana, and Freedom are three that come to mind off the top of my head, and there are many others. If you want to use a ship in the role I just described, and you don't own any of those older ships, then the USS Oregon isn't really horrible. But you'll find her in the backwaters of the fleet, held back, like so many others, by her low speed.

Goldship rating: 2.6 / 5

Gun Ship rating: 2.4 / 5

Boarding rating: 2.5 / 5

Value for points: 2.2 / 5