[AG124]

Finding good blueprints for WW2 merchant shipping can be difficult, but if you are going to make some generic vessels they can be composite designs of several historically accurate models. Of course you already know about uboat.net, but maybe I can recommend some typical deisngs from that site (as I have looked at every single merchant picture that is on there).

This is one example. Observe the ships in the following links, if you have a few minutes (I have not posted their images, as they would take up too much space). These vessels are not all from the same class, but they are all of an extremely similar design. They all have a straight bow, split mid deckhouse, tall thin funnel, lowered aft and forward deck instead of a raised forcastle, and a similar crane design (one thick mast in the centre, with four booms attached on either side). They are also all in the 4000-6000 GRT range, I think. These are the kinds of patterns which you would need to look for when making some generic merchants, IMO.

http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/842.html

http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/2168.html

http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/860.html

http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/1531.html

http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/2348.html

http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/837.html

http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/1250.html

http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/15.html

http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/1649.html

http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/1950.html

http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/14.html

http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/1162.html

http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/745.html

http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/985.html

http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/269.html

http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/783.html

Also, if I can throw in some more suggestions, you should add some coastal craft eventually. These could include two types of tugboats (a smaller harbour tug and a larger ocean going tug) and one or two fishing boats.

These are just some suggestions that I thought I could make - I realize that you have limited resources and cannot implement everything right away and have to make your own decisions about what to model and include. Just trying to help a bit.