Ship

Pirate Ships in Tropico 2 is the main source of income for your island. Using ships is a central part of the gameplay and is required for several important activities. Pirate ships are sent out on cruises, the traditional activity of pirates, boarding other ships and taking treasure, cannons and captives. The ships are also used for raiding settlements, which bring unskilled captives back to your island. They are also used to capture skilled captives, and explore uncharted regions.

Because of these varied requirements, it is a good strategy to have a collection of different ships, as some are better used for certain tasks.

List of ships

Ship	Cost	Speed	Captains	Officers	Crew	Rations	Swords	Cannons	Muskets	Notes
Snow	0 gold, 20 lumber	28	1	1	3	5	4	4	4	Tiny crew size so can be sent out repeatedly. Best for capturing skilled captives.
Schooner	100 gold, 30 lumber	32	1	2	5	8	7	8	7	Fastest ship available. Good for a variety of tasks.
Sloop	250 gold, 50 lumber	28	1	2	8	10	10	16	10	Faster, cheaper, and slightly better armed than a Brigantine, at the cost of reduced endurance and fewer rations.
Brigantine	500 gold, 70 lumber	26	1	2	8	30	10	12	10	Good second ship to depart with a Frigate in a cruise. Fast so can catch fleeing enemy vessels.
Frigate	1000 gold, 125 lumber	22	1	4	13	40	17	26	17	Best for cruising. Strong and reasonably fast.
Galleon	1000 gold, 150 lumber	15	1	5	15	60	20	40	20	High cost and low speed balanced by being most powerful ship in game.

Any campaign requiring you to accumulate a gold hoard of 7,500 coins or less can generally be achieved using only one Frigate for cruising, providing you regularly change the region that it cruises in.