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In our 4 player 3 AI PBEM game we have seen two instances where a major power transport fleet has been captured as a result of Naval Port combat, but the mechanics of the capture seemed a little strange.

As Russian, I attacked 6 Turkish LF and the 10 Turkish Transports in a garrisoned Athens (Guns=20) and after 2 turns had destroyed the 6 Turkish LF ships. But at the end of the second combat phase, with only the Transports left, they were not automatically captured. I then had to run the guns for a third turn, attack Athens, and then and only then did the transport fleet become captured - it disappeared off the map and a fleet building symbol appeared in Corfu. The next turn the building symbol became a little ship icon, and as soon as I dock my Russian transports in Corfu, I will have 20 transports at my disposal.

The British pulled a similar stunt on Toulon, capturing the 20 French Transports using the same sequence of events.

My question is if the transports have no value for combat, why are they not automatically captured when all enemy combat fleets are destroyed - why do you need that one extra combat vs the port guns before they become captured?

Has anyone else seen this sequence of events in their game?

Hawks 5896

Short version: that is how the rule works - transports without any accompanying warships are automatically captured, those that are escorted are not.
 
Longer version: I am guessing that the principle is the warships will engage in battle while the transports flee. Naval gun numbers represent the combined defensive guns of a port firing over the period of a month. Only when you raid against the defenseless transports do you get the capture. 

Actually; the port defence numbers indicate a number of fixed cannon
emplacements equal to that number of ships-of-the-line.
 
Personally; I do not belive that transports in a (garrisoned) port should be elegible for
capture.  Transports in a port would be expected to be tied up at a warf
& not rigged to get under way.  A raiding fleet would not have time put
a FULL crew (the transports own crew very well may not be aboard when
the raid happens & therefore isn't available to man the ship) & get under
way before a response can be raised from the local garrison.
 
I would like this to be changed to the following : If there are no warships
in a port but there is a port garrson; a raiding fleet takes appropriate
losses from the shore batteries & then can distroy 1 transport for
each surviving raider.  I think that this would more realistically portray
the results that would have happened given the time contraints involved.
 

I have submitted a feature request in the TechSupport forum on this - pls check I got it right, and feel free to add your views (which probably differ from mine)

ORIGINAL: gwheelock

Actually; the port defence numbers indicate a number of fixed cannon
emplacements equal to that number of ships-of-the-line.

Personally; I do not belive that transports in a (garrisoned) port should be elegible for
capture.  Transports in a port would be expected to be tied up at a warf
& not rigged to get under way.  A raiding fleet would not have time put
a FULL crew (the transports own crew very well may not be aboard when
the raid happens & therefore isn't available to man the ship) & get under
way before a response can be raised from the local garrison.

I would like this to be changed to the following : If there are no warships
in a port but there is a port garrson; a raiding fleet takes appropriate
losses from the shore batteries & then can distroy 1 transport for
each surviving raider.  I think that this would more realistically portray
the results that would have happened given the time contraints involved.

May I suggest that a port with an active garrison, should be attacked by land forces in an attempt to over power the garrison, and in so doing leave the port guns inactive.

This would allow the attacking fleet the opportunity to sail into the port and engage any enemy warship. After this combat they may then capture the Transport if the enemy fleet is defeated.

Is something like this scenario possible to implement into the game?