diff --git a/NEXT-STEPS.md b/NEXT-STEPS.md
index 5643951..bf8a7ba 100644
--- a/NEXT-STEPS.md
+++ b/NEXT-STEPS.md
@@ -112,7 +112,8 @@ The viewer still works as an observer/debug client first.
 
 Recommended work:
 
-- fix the current `followedShipId` regression in `GameViewer.ts`
+- keep tuning the tactical and `camera-follow` camera feel
+- add clearer camera mode affordances in the HUD / ship rail
 - show station module state and construction state
 - show dock occupancy and waiting ships
 - expose fuel-chain health
diff --git a/SESSION.md b/SESSION.md
index b51313c..5271acc 100644
--- a/SESSION.md
+++ b/SESSION.md
@@ -49,19 +49,24 @@ The viewer currently supports:
     - structures
     - celestials
 - `WASD` panning on the `XZ` plane
-- middle-mouse orbit camera
+- middle-mouse tactical orbit camera
 - smooth wheel zoom across local, system, and universe scales
 - layered system presentation
   - one active local system with detailed content
   - non-local systems projected as distant shell markers
 - procedurally animated planets and moons from orbital metadata
 - ringed planets, binary star presentation, and richer resource visuals
-- follow-camera behavior for selected ships
+- explicit camera modes
+  - tactical free-move / orbit camera
+  - `camera-follow` third-person trailing camera for ships
 - dedicated `System` and `Focus` panels on the right HUD
 - hover labels for projected system markers
 - a bottom ship list with horizontally scrolling ship cards
-  - card click selects and follows the ship
+  - card click selects the ship
+  - card double-click selects, focuses, and enables `camera-follow`
+  - cards now span the full screen width as a compact bottom rail
   - cards show ship name, class, fuel, energy, state, and order
+  - cards include a compact history icon button under the ship-class tag
 - multiple floating history windows for debugging
   - openable from ship cards
   - independently movable and resizable
@@ -159,6 +164,8 @@ The runtime model still follows the intended layered control architecture:
 - added viewer-side interpolation / short extrapolation for movement
 - added a plain-text network statistics readout
 - reworked the camera with smoother zoom, orbit, panning, and marquee selection
+- split viewer camera behavior into tactical and `camera-follow` modes
+- added ship-card double-click to focus and enter follow mode
 - cleaned up several viewer HUD elements and removed redundant panel content
 - expanded the backend world into a large procedural galaxy with elevated vertical variance
 - added deterministic orbital metadata for planets and client-side orbital animation in the viewer
@@ -204,7 +211,7 @@ The runtime model still follows the intended layered control architecture:
   - no command submission UI yet
 - local / projected / galaxy presentation is now workable but still needs tuning
   - shell marker art direction and scaling still need polish
-  - local camera feel still needs iteration
+  - tactical/follow camera tuning still needs iteration
   - projected-system composition is still a viewer illusion, not a full multi-layer renderer
 - the galaxy is much larger now, so viewer performance and visual density need active tuning
 - moon rendering is procedural from counts, not authored moon-by-moon data
@@ -216,7 +223,6 @@ The runtime model still follows the intended layered control architecture:
 - constructor logic only builds from station-local inventory
   - it does not yet fetch module materials from other stations or ships
 - station installed modules and active construction are not yet exposed in the viewer contract
-- some viewer follow-camera code is currently broken by a pre-existing missing `followedShipId` property
 - piracy and faction growth are still functional rather than strategically deep
 - no persistence for saves, seeds, or reconnect state
 
diff --git a/apps/viewer/src/style.css b/apps/viewer/src/style.css
index b1c4d14..0ab761d 100644
--- a/apps/viewer/src/style.css
+++ b/apps/viewer/src/style.css
@@ -326,31 +326,34 @@ canvas {
 
 .ship-strip {
   position: absolute;
-  left: 20px;
-  bottom: 20px;
-  width: min(920px, calc(100vw - 440px));
-  min-height: 140px;
-  border-radius: 24px;
-  padding: 16px;
+  left: 0;
+  right: 0;
+  bottom: 0;
+  width: 100vw;
+  min-height: 128px;
+  border-radius: 0;
+  padding: 0;
   display: flex;
   align-items: stretch;
-  gap: 12px;
+  gap: 0;
   overflow-x: auto;
   overflow-y: hidden;
   pointer-events: auto;
   scrollbar-width: thin;
+  background: linear-gradient(180deg, rgba(5, 10, 18, 0), rgba(5, 10, 18, 0.92) 28%);
 }
 
 .ship-card {
-  border-radius: 18px;
-  border: 1px solid rgba(127, 214, 255, 0.14);
-  background: linear-gradient(180deg, rgba(11, 23, 43, 0.85), rgba(7, 15, 28, 0.9));
-  padding: 14px;
-  min-width: 220px;
-  max-width: 220px;
+  border-radius: 0;
+  border-top: 1px solid rgba(127, 214, 255, 0.14);
+  border-right: 1px solid rgba(127, 214, 255, 0.1);
+  background: linear-gradient(180deg, rgba(10, 20, 36, 0.96), rgba(6, 12, 22, 0.98));
+  padding: 10px 12px 12px;
+  min-width: 208px;
+  max-width: 208px;
   display: flex;
   flex-direction: column;
-  gap: 8px;
+  gap: 6px;
   color: var(--text);
   cursor: pointer;
   transition: transform 140ms ease, border-color 140ms ease, box-shadow 140ms ease, background 140ms ease;
@@ -363,7 +366,7 @@ canvas {
 }
 
 .ship-card.is-selected {
-  border-color: rgba(255, 191, 105, 0.82);
+  border-top-color: rgba(255, 191, 105, 0.82);
   background: linear-gradient(180deg, rgba(31, 33, 20, 0.9), rgba(20, 18, 10, 0.92));
 }
 
@@ -378,28 +381,66 @@ canvas {
   gap: 10px;
 }
 
+.ship-card h3 {
+  font-size: 0.82rem;
+  line-height: 1.15;
+  letter-spacing: 0.04em;
+}
+
+.ship-card-meta {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  align-items: flex-end;
+  gap: 6px;
+}
+
 .ship-card-badge {
-  padding: 4px 8px;
+  padding: 3px 8px;
   border-radius: 999px;
   background: rgba(127, 214, 255, 0.12);
   color: var(--accent);
-  font-size: 0.68rem;
+  font-size: 0.64rem;
   letter-spacing: 0.12em;
   text-transform: uppercase;
 }
 
 .ship-card p {
-  margin: 6px 0 0;
+  margin: 2px 0 0;
   color: var(--muted);
-  line-height: 1.45;
+  line-height: 1.35;
   font-family: "IBM Plex Mono", "SFMono-Regular", monospace;
-  font-size: 0.77rem;
+  font-size: 0.72rem;
+}
+
+.ship-card-header + p {
+  font-size: 0.62rem;
+  letter-spacing: 0.08em;
+  text-transform: uppercase;
+}
+
+.ship-card-ai {
+  margin-top: 2px;
+  padding-top: 6px;
+  border-top: 1px solid rgba(127, 214, 255, 0.08);
+}
+
+.ship-card-section-title {
+  margin: 0;
+  color: var(--accent);
+  letter-spacing: 0.14em;
+  text-transform: uppercase;
 }
 
 .ship-card-history-button {
-  margin-top: auto;
-  padding: 8px 12px;
-  align-self: flex-start;
+  width: 24px;
+  height: 24px;
+  padding: 0;
+  display: inline-flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: center;
+  align-self: flex-end;
+  font-size: 0.78rem;
+  line-height: 1;
 }
 
 .swatch {
@@ -411,8 +452,7 @@ canvas {
 
 @media (max-width: 1080px) {
   .ship-strip {
-    right: 20px;
-    width: auto;
+    width: 100vw;
   }
 }
 
@@ -452,11 +492,11 @@ canvas {
   }
 
   .ship-strip {
-    left: 20px;
-    right: 20px;
-    bottom: 20px;
-    width: auto;
-    min-height: 126px;
+    left: 0;
+    right: 0;
+    bottom: 0;
+    width: 100vw;
+    min-height: 120px;
   }
 
   .history-window {