There are some currently active military aircraft which are also referred to as "ships". One example is the type of U.S.A.F. C-130 commonly known as the C-130 Gunship.
As far as the "B-29 Superfortress" boardgame, it as an excellent evolution/update to "B-17 Queen of the Skies". Different aircraft, different theater, but same basic gameplay flow. I have both and they are a lot of fun imho, especially when travelling or otherwise away from your pc gaming rig.
Steve Dixon (co-creator of "B-29 Superfortress") also created and ran a web-based virtual squadron/flight group based on the "B-17 Queen of the Skies" boardgame. After completing several full campaigns with "B-17 Queen of the Skies" and the subsequent completion and publishing of "B-29 Superfortress" his virtual Bombardment Wing (made up of two Bombardment Groups, with three / 7 aircraft squadrons in each Bombardment Group comprising a total of 42 individual aircraft manned by virtual aircraft commanders from around the world) made the move to "B-29 Superfortress".
Here is a link to his Virtual 30th Bombardment Wing website:
http://www.skdgaming.com/B29/index.html
Recently I had the pleasure of exchanging a few emails with him after joining his virtual Bombardment Wing, he happens to be an old "devil-dog" and we shared some common ground in our time serving in the U.S.M.C.
There are other virtual squadrons out there based on both of these boardgames but getting hooked up with one can be difficult because they have no difficulty filling their ranks and usually have a waiting or reserve list.
Regards
