What are the advantages of making a convoy ship, over a normal warship? Are they easier to make? I particularly like the USS Samaritan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Samaritan_(AH-10)
In fast gun....none, they are slow targets that, from what ive heard, only make convoy games a pain. In Big gun, ...the hobby revolves around transports and their importance. They are easier to make as you dont worry about (in fast gun) guns, or pumps, which you can get in some convoys in big gun. I'd say for a first build, a small battleship or battlecruiser, class 4
Thanks for the info. Do you know of any class 4 ships from the allies, particularly America? The only ones I could find are the Andrea Doria, Von der Tann, and Lion.
There aren't really any good class 4 boats that are American, especially not for a beginner. If you want an American boat class 3 or 5 is where to start.
HMS Invincible but think only Swampworks does that one. Seems Ralph Coles does an HMS Indefatigable which is another British battlecruiser. Bowing Shipyards does a FN Dunkerque but it has an odd set up (stern, two bow side mounts). The only american 4 unit fiberglass hull is done by Swampwroks too the USS South Carolina. The biggest problem w/ Swampworks is that he is semi out of the business and just recently did an order and will not do another group of orders for a while.
Ralph does the USS Florida/Utah, 4 units,28 seconds, only a single rudder but 43.5" x 8.83" and around 22lbs.
Thanks again for answering all my questions. Finally, how would the USS California or Colorado, the two Allied ships that I like, compare the Andrea Doria?
Getting back to the convoy ship. In BIG guns a convoy ship can be armed. I have an armed Liberty ship and will be trimming her out very soon! I know that the little bb gun on the stern will not scare any of the big warships on the water. It is there as a teaching device for me for when I have a real warship to command. This has been a real learning experience for me. It was not easy to fit everything inside of that hull! I did not need to use any ballast in the ship. The batteries and weapon system took care of that for me. It would be easier to arm a Victory ship because they are much larger.
Well, lets just compare the California and the andrea Doria, as the Cali and the colorado are practicly the same. In fast gun...both are 26 seconds, the California has only one rudder (where as the doria has 2 inline) and is more football shaped so better turning, you will have more wieght and area to mess around with. The differences are enourmous, but it all depends on whether you not you want to go axis or allied. Personally, i like both ships very much, but the doria looks cooler to me. In Big gun...well, i have no idea, but i would imagine the the California with 2 more guns but 6 knots slower (21 knots as opposed to 27 by the Doria) might have the advantage.
From what I have seen thus far with BIG guns. Speed and maneuverability is not that important. Putting shells on target is. I have seen the big battlewagons getting hit numerous times, but when the battle is over, they are still sitting high in the water. Afterwards when the ship is pulled out of the water and the hull inspected. There are VERY few hits if any below the water line! I have seen a number of 1/4 inch ball bearing embedded in the side of the hull where they did not fully penetrate the balsa skin! Since I have been in this sport, I have yet to see a Battleship sink. So far, only Dreadnaught's and pocket battleships have gone down due to enemy fire.
In class 3 the brooklyn is nice, had a wide back so is "armoured" from the rear with the 1" permitted solid area at the stern.:cry: (IRCWCC and MWC)
Boomerboy... stating that Big Guns revolves around transports is at best a misinformed statement. In my opinion, Big Guns revolves around rotating 1/4 inch cannons... and Battleships. Convoy is there to make the game interesting, allow those under 18 to participate, and to get people on the water with a minimum time and dollar investment. The ships are both more complicated in some ways (more servos and channels) and more expensive than your chosen format. Everybody wants to shoot, and convoys are usually not what people are dying to build. Most get a bump up to the minimum allowed speed also, so both 16 knots and 21 knots become 24 knots if I remember correctly.
Oh yeah the Brooklyn is a great rookie boat, atleast in the MWC. (if the IRCWCC ever speeds up the cruisers then it would be a good starter boat there as well) The Brooklyn was the first boat I built and I ran it for ~5 years before I built another boat. You can have a lot of fun with dual stern guns on a cruiser.
"Everybody wants to shoot, and convoys are usually not what people are dying to build. " This is what I really don't understand about the biggun advice to build transports as a first ship. I'd think that something like a torpedo cruiser would be a better place to start because the ships will still be fairly simple, torpedo cannons should be fairly cheap compared to rotating high capacity 1/4" turrets.
Transports are recommended because they are simple, and allow you to focus on the hull, motor, and rudder. The simple boat is faster to put on the water and teaches the beginner a lot about building so their first armed boat will have less rookie mistakes. If the new member can't wait for an armed ship, a cruiser is good because it has a simplified gun system. I personally like the idea of lending a new member a transport, so they can get on the water with minimal investment and learn both the dynamics of the pond and how addictive the hobby is. That is how I got started, and that is the ultimate goal of the tramp steamers I made last year. A loaner transport is bait for new members, and in most cases they swallow it hook, line, and sinker.
Mike, as you know, we are exclusivley Big-gun here in Australia, and convoys ships ARE the game. Sinking an opponent's warship earns you no points, nor does sinking their merchants. We don't count holes, we count convoy runs. Merchant ships completing convoy runs are the only way to win the game here. This has made the humble merchant a very valued part of our game. All in all, convoys here are no longer the "cannon fodder" of old! There's something oddly satisfying in escorting a merchant safely through a guantlet of warships, using teamwork and tactics, putting your warship in harms way to stop the Bad Guys beating up on your mate's tanker. Even if you get shot to bits in the effort.
That sort of battle appeals to me. It's more relevant to actual wartime experience than comparing how many holes the ships on each side received.
