CVE's as Transport Ships

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el cid again
Posts: 16980
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 4:40 pm

CVE's as Transport Ships

Post by el cid again »

Aircraft carriers make phenomenal transports. Numbers of Allied CVEs were used in this role during WWII. In addition, many of them spent decades after the war in commercial service, not as aircraft carriers, but as merchant transport ships. The large hanger deck and flight deck make them particularly useful for moving vehicles and aircraft. They also make great troop transports (see "Operation Magic Carpet" at the end of WWII). In addition, those built on tanker hulls could serve as bulk liquid transports - and did so during the war.

I have long considered how to permit the use of CVEs as transport ships? The next microupdate of RHS (5.12) will contain a new type of conversion:

The mass produced types of Allied CVEs may "convert" into AKVs. These get about 75% of displacement as cargo (rounded down to the nearest thousand) - unless they also serve as tankers - in which case the tanker capacity is subtracted from the bulk cargo capacity. IF the original design is build on a tanker hull and has phenomenal five digit ranges (18,000 to over 26,000), then half the bunkerage is shown as liquid fuel capacity, and the range is reduced by half in the AKV form. Only a CVE appearing in the original sub type for that class may convert. It may do so at a yard 1/3 the size normally required for conversion of a ship of that class (how hard is it to remove a minimal amount of equipment?). The ships armament is retained, as is its speed, radar and other features. Any vessel so converted may also "upgrade" to the next sub type of the same class - on or after the date that upgrade is permitted - and on the same terms (time delay, etc). An AKV may join a transport TF, a cargo TF or an air transport TF, but not an amphibious TF. The troop capacity of a former CVE is twice as great as a normal AK of the same size would be (an RHS concept - the default troop capacity is defined for most ship types). Aircraft loaded onto an AKV are not disabled on load and will arrive at their destination without being disabled.
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inqistor
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Joined: Wed May 12, 2010 1:19 pm

RE: CVE's as Transport Ships

Post by inqistor »

I thnk you can put CVEs into most TF types (CVs are exception), and they probably use there their capacities.

But IIRC, they have some horrible loadout modifiers, like 6 for every person, so their real capacity is quite low. The main problem is, that Japanese CVs were regularly used as transports (Even Shinano was loaded during first[and last] trip), and you can not simulate this in-game, because they can not be put into any transport TF.
dwg
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Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 1:35 am

RE: CVE's as Transport Ships

Post by dwg »

ORIGINAL: inqistor
you can not simulate this in-game, because they can not be put into any transport TF.

Who says it has to be a transport TF? Change the homeport to the destination and pretty much any TF type will get you where you want to go. Alternatively define a short duration upgrade to AK, AP, or AKV and another back to carrier and switch roles as necessary.
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inqistor
Posts: 1813
Joined: Wed May 12, 2010 1:19 pm

RE: CVE's as Transport Ships

Post by inqistor »

ORIGINAL: dwg
ORIGINAL: inqistor
you can not simulate this in-game, because they can not be put into any transport TF.

Who says it has to be a transport TF? Change the homeport to the destination and pretty much any TF type will get you where you want to go. Alternatively define a short duration upgrade to AK, AP, or AKV and another back to carrier and switch roles as necessary.
This is problem with loading, because non-transport TFs do not have LOAD button, so no matter the capacity, ships will not load anything.

Although this "upgrade" is good idea. CVs will lose their planes support role, but you can always convert them into CVEs, with smaller number of planes.


NOT that any side is currently short on transport capacity.
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