Transport ship durability

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Perhaps it's just me. But I feel that transport ships are too durable in game.

For example a 3000 ton japanese AP has a durability of 20. A Niitaka class CL has a durability of 18, a Kitakami class CL 22.

IMHO the weakly built, without a lot of watertigth compartments and
unarmored transports should be easier to sink with gunfire and torpedoes than a light cruiser.

As we do not have a production system then it wouldn't be too difficult to tone down durability?

What are your opinions on these matters.

[Rysyonok]

Yes - but consider this. When an AK or whatnot gets hit, it jettisons most of its cargo, instantly increasing its seaworthiness. Whether it's a WAD or a bug... I don't know. But it does work out in the end.

Maybe APs need to be reduced, but the rest of them are fine.

Otherwise campaigns will turn to merchant graveyards by 7th month.

[Rysyonok]

You know, you got me thinking... durability may be an issue but have you seen their maneuverability? An IJN large tanker with its 70 can dance in circles around USN destroyers! :p

[jwilkerson]

An IJN large tanker with its 70 maneuverability

Hadn't checked that ... but it would be silly ...

but Tankers in ballast could take multiple torpedo hits and stay afloat ... though not sure maneuverability is the way to represent that [:)]

[jwilkerson]

As we do not have a production system

But we want to have a production system .. so we don't want to do things to inhibit such ...

[Rysyonok]

Stock IJN large tanker:

[Rysyonok]

And a small one:

[Rysyonok]

Cautionaries 1.6 large tanker

[DuckofTindalos]

Okay, 60 and 70's definitely too much. That'll have to be looked at...

[Tankerace]

Yeah.

I had originally considered lowering it.... BUT these are the same values as in WitP (and I suspect UV), and as they did not present any problems there I left them as is. I would realistically think that they should be no more than 42, but only the old tankers as low as 20. They are slow and bulky, but I wouldn't think a US predreadnought could out turn them.

I'll probably lower it in the next patch (am wanting to see if we can get some code fixes/improvements in it, and bundle it as the 1.30 patch.)

[crsutton]

Just got through reading Clay Blair's book in U boats in WWII. Basically, one solid torpedo hit on a DD-even a modern one, would do the job whereas many times merchants needed multiple hits. Construction is important but so is tonnage. A torpedo hit on a 1500 ton DD is pretty much gonna break it in two-watertight integrety or not. A big merchant has a bigger chance of surviving a single torpedo hit, and many times the cargo provides extra flotation. (seems like ships carrying iron ore always went right to the bottom though) Heavier ships are tougher to sink and DDs and pre war light cruisers were pretty light stuff.

Pre-war we are talking smaller ships and poorer construction, but basically all factors are still equal. Torpedoes were less sophisticated, merchants were smaller but so were DDs and CLs. It all balances out.