A few years ago I started building Japanese CL Ibuki for Washington Treaty combat (see long build thread). Work will resume soon - I have to cast and install the quarterdeck within the next 3 weeks - but I no longer plan to use it as a combat ship. From what I've read the ship was 80+% complete at war's end but never commissioned so can't be used as a combat ship. As the original appears to have been mobile can it be used as a convoy ship at official competitions?
Convoy ships are used at NATS - IRCWCC This year we did not have Campaign (maybe if you where there that would have been different) By the rules, it would take a unanimous vote to let a ship battle that was not on the list (exception) Also, since it is not on our ship list you would have to bring plans - 144th scale TOUGH QUESTION
convoy ships are on the list now? or are you voting on every single convoy ship, since no unarmed convoy ships are on the official ship list as far as I remember?
IJN Ibuki was built on a Mogami Class hull for which I assume the IRCWCC has plans. I used one of Ralph Coles fiberglass Mogami hulls for the conversion as can be seen in the build thread. I have several drawings of the flight deck and superstructure from different sources and some photos of the ship. I recall seeing 2 Japanese CVLs in use at 2003 NATS as convoy ships.
Generally any ship used for transporting war material or people are convoy ships. Since we are a gun club CVs really have no place in battle. But they did deliver planes to bases so they can be used as convoy ships. Subs are very hard to make as a firing warship and really don't have a place in battle either, but they dropped off supplies and people so they are a convoy ship. A PT boat has also been used for the same reasons as subs. There were the German CV Graff Zeppelin and an Italian CV, who's name I forget, that were nearly finished but not commissioned. You cant used them as warships but they were targets for destruction and I feel could also be a convoy ship. Technically a lot of the US warships were turned into troop transports at the end of the war. So you can make an argument that they could be a convoy ship, but no one has done that yet, it would not be looked at very well. So... could Ibuki be a convoy ship, I don't really care if it is. It would have to be convoy ship speed and rudder size. Someone might look at you funny about it, but as long as there's one more convoy to shoot run it.
Suggestion, use the class name and not the specific ship name on questions. We of course have mogami's, and if it is outfitted to carry planes and not BB guns then I am sure it will be allowed. Why not.
No one at the 2003 NATS seemed to look funny at the 2 Japanese CVLs used as convoy ships, so I assume CVL Ibuki (a 1 ship class) will be fine with the correct rudder and speed. Thanks for clarifying.
2oo3 NATS, that's a long time ago. I ran one USA CVL in 03 and 04. Then had three of them in 05, 06. Back to two of them in 07, 08, 09, 10, 13, 14. I don't think I let the Allies use them when I was Axis, but I might have, it's all so foggy for those couple years. There was a Lexington at 02, 06, 10. A Jeep CV for a couple of years around 09-11. One of the bigger Jap CVs was around in 02, 12 or was it 14.
There was a Doolittle Raid carrier at 2003 NATS and I'm pretty sure a Graf Zepplin was also used in the Campaign event.
I didn't see a Graf, not sure if that would have been allowed back then (opening the door for other "what-ifs" http://www.portpolarbear.com/reports/TF144/TaskForce144 Fall 2003.pdf
A perfect example where fun trumps the rivet counters. Considering the convoy rules allows any ship that was built to carry stuff, and the uncountable sizes and types of such ships built, I'm surprised there's any issues whatsoever on allowing any boat as a convoy target. If it looks like a freighter, tanker, liner, etc, who cares if it doesn't exactly match some dusty old blueprint. Set the speed to 34 seconds, turn off the pump, and go at it!
