A ship in Imperialism is either a merchant ship or a warship. In Imperialism 2 there is no specific distinction. All ships are built in your shipyard.
Ships (except the merchant ships of Imperialism) appear in an area of sea, initially just next to your capital or to its river mouth, and can be moved from one sea zone to another.
Imperialism
- Main article: Ship (Imp1)
Merchant ships are needed to carry items you sell or buy, and are never actually seen, though you will see where one has been deemed to be when you find a battle report about it.
Imperialism 2
- Main article: Ship (Imp2)
All ships have both transport and fighting capability, but some clearly specialize.
Trade Empires
- Ship is not present in (or the article has not been created for) Trade Empires