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Alright, I may be biased, but I do really hate the British light aircraft carrier Hermes; too slow, too little, too unarmored... you can't even use it to block an enemy port or to provide some cover from the sea, somewhat as Courbet was used. Anyway, the first time the game asks me to withdraw a carrier (I guess it does, it isn't just for the battleships, cruisers and destroyers, right? [&:]), I'm sending her home to be bombed to oblivion by some good ol' Junkers Ju.88 or SM.79 (long live the "Damned Hunchbacks"!! ). But I must say I also hate the Royal Sovereigns; true, they have some quite good firepower (I don't joke about 15-inchers), and they are adequately armored, at least against enemy shells. But they are slower than a foodless day!! They're also liable to be withdrawn; too bad the RN didn't build the Lions to replace them! [:(]
Ok, now for the ships I absolutely love!
I know they're not the best battleships and cruisers in the world, but I read too much times "The winds of war" and "War and Remembrance" of H. Wouk, so I'm hopelessly in love with California and Northampton. If the 12/7 attack had sunk the California, I would have cried like mad. Luckily, it escaped with some damage. And the Northampton is still the faithful companion of the Enterprise, in TF 16!

OT : I have to admit that besides those mentioned above, I gotta be myself, so I have to love above anything else the Italian battleships and cruisers of WWII. Even if I know that the Dorias and the Vittorio Venetos absolutely sucked about gun quality; but they were fine ship, graceful, not too weak about endurance (the latter were torpedoed some times, but always made it to port), but most of all, they were italian. Sorry about the nationalist gig, but I can't help it! [&o]

ORIGINAL: Gaius Duilius

Alright, I may be biased, but I do really hate the British light aircraft carrier Hermes; too slow, too little, too unarmored... you can't even use it to block an enemy port or to provide some cover from the sea, somewhat as Courbet was used. Anyway, the first time the game asks me to withdraw a carrier (I guess it does, it isn't just for the battleships, cruisers and destroyers, right? [&:]), I'm sending her home to be bombed to oblivion by some good ol' Junkers Ju.88 or SM.79 (long live the "Damned Hunchbacks"!! ).

You are probably going to be very disappointed if you try to send Hermes back when the British have to withdraw a CV, since Hermes is a CVL...

She should be used for transporting aircraft or for anti-sub escort duty, not as a frontline carrier... i use her pretty much as a CVE.

ORIGINAL: Gaius Duilius

Alright, I may be biased, but I do really hate the British light aircraft carrier Hermes; too slow, too little, too unarmored... you can't even use it to block an enemy port or to provide some cover from the sea,

Early in the war (before end of december 1941), my CVL Hermes managed to score 1 torpedo hit against BB Hyuga (didn't sink but had to sail back to port), and did sink BB Haruna.
So if used properly and with caution, it can still be useful.

[/quote]
You are probably going to be very disappointed if you try to send Hermes back when the British have to withdraw a CV, since Hermes is a CVL...

She should be used for transporting aircraft or for anti-sub escort duty, not as a frontline carrier... i use her pretty much as a CVE.
[/quote]

One thing I did to put the Hermes to use was to escort my bombardment group, I think at the point of my campaign I lost my original 2 british carriers and only had 1 CV and the Hermes. The 30 or so fighters were nice cap considering I could leave my other 10 american carriers to do damage elsewhere.

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso

ORIGINAL: Gaius Duilius

Alright, I may be biased, but I do really hate the British light aircraft carrier Hermes; too slow, too little, too unarmored... you can't even use it to block an enemy port or to provide some cover from the sea, somewhat as Courbet was used. Anyway, the first time the game asks me to withdraw a carrier (I guess it does, it isn't just for the battleships, cruisers and destroyers, right? [&:]), I'm sending her home to be bombed to oblivion by some good ol' Junkers Ju.88 or SM.79 (long live the "Damned Hunchbacks"!! ).

You are probably going to be very disappointed if you try to send Hermes back when the British have to withdraw a CV, since Hermes is a CVL...

She should be used for transporting aircraft or for anti-sub escort duty, not as a frontline carrier... i use her pretty much as a CVE.

Dang! Forgot about that!
So I guess it's just gonna stick around. Damn. Well, I have no choice but to use it as you suggested; but I really hope other RN carriers come in, and fast. They still carry less aircraft than the US CVs but they have the armored deck, so they don't blow up at the first bomb dropped on their flight deck.

ORIGINAL: gladiatt

ORIGINAL: Gaius Duilius

Alright, I may be biased, but I do really hate the British light aircraft carrier Hermes; too slow, too little, too unarmored... you can't even use it to block an enemy port or to provide some cover from the sea,

Early in the war (before end of december 1941), my CVL Hermes managed to score 1 torpedo hit against BB Hyuga (didn't sink but had to sail back to port), and did sink BB Haruna.
So if used properly and with caution, it can still be useful.

Lucky shot, I guess. Besides, I noticed that Japanese BBs are pretty though. True, for now all the planes that met them and tried to get them were Martins or TVs, and they didn't survive long to their AA guns. But I bet that even with some Dauntless and Avengers (I'm anxiously waiting for them!) they would be difficult to sink. In the real war, I heard that Hiei went down after having been fired upon by cruisers and destroyer with gunfire (and perhaps some torpedoes) and after at least 70 air attacks! And to think it was conceived as a battlecruiser!!

ORIGINAL: Gaius Duilius

ORIGINAL: gladiatt

ORIGINAL: Gaius Duilius

Alright, I may be biased, but I do really hate the British light aircraft carrier Hermes; too slow, too little, too unarmored... you can't even use it to block an enemy port or to provide some cover from the sea,

Early in the war (before end of december 1941), my CVL Hermes managed to score 1 torpedo hit against BB Hyuga (didn't sink but had to sail back to port), and did sink BB Haruna.
So if used properly and with caution, it can still be useful.

Lucky shot, I guess.

More of an incautious move of my opponant (and absolutely NOT a wise move of me). So i say it twice: this tiny CVL can be useful...

Historically, Hermes was used to provide air cover for a battleship SAG. As long as the SAG wasn't taking on a CVTF, having a slow carrier in support guaranteed air superiority during day surface actions and was worth a 2-3x combat power advantage.

hate old CL's
love any DD =]

ORIGINAL: herwin

Historically, Hermes was used to provide air cover for a battleship SAG. As long as the SAG wasn't taking on a CVTF, having a slow carrier in support guaranteed air superiority during day surface actions and was worth a 2-3x combat power advantage.

All right, all right, I got it. I'm not going to let it rot at anchor at Karachi, rest assured. Besides, until Mr. Churchill and Admiral Pound decides to send me some other carriers, I'm pretty much stuck with it.

....

But I still hate it! [8|]

ORIGINAL: Gaius Duilius

But I still hate it! [8|]

its a shame the scuttle button needs certain requirements (like damage) [:D]

i remember my brother loading her up with 2 swordfish sq. to strike at my andaman isl. landing force, only to get caught by bettys (2 torps). she's still floating around somewhere, but more than an escort ship wouldnt be in it for her

ORIGINAL: flaggelant

ORIGINAL: Gaius Duilius

But I still hate it! [8|]

its a shame the scuttle button needs certain requirements (like damage) [:D]

i remember my brother loading her up with 2 swordfish sq. to strike at my andaman isl. landing force, only to get caught by bettys (2 torps). she's still floating around somewhere, but more than an escort ship wouldnt be in it for her

Ooohhh, nice button!
With the Bettys, I already learnt that there's only one thing to do : keep downing 'em until they're all gone. Even if it's a long way, but...

It's a long way to Tipperary...

[:D]

In my PBEM game vs Bilbow, Hermes is still around (July '44).

I've got an "Mixed CVE TF", that has some of the RN CVEs, the Hermes, Long Island (w/ 16x Avengers), and another slow CVL (forget it's name). Also a pair of the VR CVEs that I donated to the RNZN, and put a sqdn of RNZN Corsairs and a squadron of RNZN Avengers on each of them. It's tidy little TF with about 175x AC. The CVEs have a large fuel reserve, and can keep Hermes tanked up (and they all move about 18 kts).

She is in fact, currently covering the invasion of Saipan.

Hermes stood on the line in late '42 when all I had was Enterprise, Long Island, and few RN CVs; so she gets no complaints from me.

-F-

ORIGINAL: lolz
hate old CL's
love any DD =]

Love the old (Japanese) CLs, unhappy with the destroyers.

In surface action, the old light cruisers have just enough armour to keep out 5"/38 gunfire, whereas the Japanese destroyers get hurt badly by radar equiped Allied destroyers.

Right now I'm hating Alaska and Guam - they seem difficult to hit with 14" & 16" shells, but their fast firing 12" shells rip through my battleships. I can't wait until Yamato and Musashi are out of the repair yard and can be brought into action.


edit: PS: I'm still using Hosho in the front lines; she may be small but she's still a carrier target!

dunno,my destroyers had awesome success in surface battles thanks to the long lance.