Here we go. Keep in mind that we're playing DaBigBabes-C, scenario 29, which begins on 8 Dec 41. So, I start with a couple of battered merchant ships, but nothing spectacular. I did take some losses to KBs daitai, especially the Vals.
I'll start with the merchant shipping, which is very different from vanilla:
xAPs: We begin with 51 of many various flavors. their speeds average 17-23 kts, totaling 123k troop capacity. Last game, I said I wouldn't use them in combat, but use them to transfer units between large bases. That was a mistake. They're critical for invasions, especially after the first 6 months of the war. I plan on using them extensively until I'm finished with my expansion. After that, they'll transport units forward and be used if there are any large, planned invasions that need to be accomplished later in the war.
For the xAKs, here is an explanation of the state:
Class (# of starting hulls) (endurance, speed, troop capacity, cargo capacity, fuel capacity, tonnage)
xAK Yusen-S (10) (11,000, 14, 340, 4367, 0, 6840): They will be primarily used in the -t conversion (1430 troop). Their mission is to transport troops between large ports.
xAK Lima (46) (11,400, 326, 4192, 0, 6475): Nine will convert to AKV and 9 will convert to AKE). The remaining 28 will be used sparingly in relatively safe areas to move resources, but I want to preserve them to replace lost AKVs and AKEs.
xAK Yusen-N (57) (13,000, 15, 308, 4083, 200, 6400): I'll keep these in the xAK configuration to move resources/oil primarily between big ports. There are a lot of them, but at 6400 tons, they take up a lot of port space.
xAK Yusen-A (7) (13,040, 17, 321, 4313, 200, 6825): Because of their high speed, I'll probably convert them to AKs (385 troop, 3882 cargo) to use to drop troops off more quickly than xAKs.
xAK Kyushu (32) (9770, 16, 290, 3704, 200, 5935): In vanilla they had a ridiculous 18 kt speed, but now it's still a respectable 16 kts. With a healthy 32 of them, they will be a prime mover of resources/oil or supply/fuel. They still work best in larger ports. 8 of them with an escort will nicely fit in a size 5 port.
xAK Aden (185) (9400, 12, 246, 3195, 0, 4875): There are a BUNCH of this class. They're the workhorse of the haulers. Unfortunately, they're pretty slow. They'll be plying the sealants.
xAK Toho (53) (8900, 14, 214, 2412, 0, 3675): I LOVED these guys in vanilla. I converted all of them to the -t, but I can't do that in this mod.

They are pretty nice at 14 kts but they're just cargo ships now. *sigh* Guess I'll use them to haul supply to the main bases near the front lines.
xAK Husimi (25) (10,800, 14, 232, 3024, 4675): I plan on converting 7 to AS to add to the 5 I start with and will convert 10 to AR to add to the 2 I start with. The remaining 8 will be saved as replacements for the conversions.
xAK Akasi (57) (9860, 12, 200, 2567, 0, 3675): I will convert 8 to AD to add to the 4 I start with. The rest will be expended behind the front line. 12 knot speed. *sigh*
xAK Ehime (58) (9560, 12, 185, 2446, 3425): I start with 12 AG. The Ehime class will replace any that I need. Other than that, they are just another generic cargo ship.
xAK Std-C (17) (58800, 12, 160, 2054, 0, 2900): These will sit in port and convert to at TK in June 42.
xAK Ansyu-C (54) (6130, 14, 160, 2054, 0, 2980): I will convert all of them to a PB. There are currently 52 starting as PBs, so that'll bring the total to 106. I really like them. They are amazing fast transports with a capacity of 1000 cargo. They also make decent escorts. They're ablative armor, really, but they often survive some damage. As fast transports, I usually use them in pairs. They can fly in, dump 2k supply, and get out before dawn.
xAK Gozan (58) (6190, 10, 121, 1621, 0, 2375): This is the smallest of the xAK classes. Their slow speed (10 kts) is, in my opinion, countered by their low tonnage (2375 tons). This allows them to be used in small ports. What use are they? *shrug* I'll figure it out.
xAKL Miyati (59) (2630, 10, 106, 1387, 0, 2050): In my vanilla game, I used most or all of this class to move resources from the small islands south of the Philippines. I doubt I'll do that this time. It used a fair amount of fuel and my resources in Japan were through the roof in Japan. I think I will probably use them in the front line to move supply.
xAKL Kasu-D (45) (3050, 12, 118, 1181, 0, 1900): These are my favorite xAKL class because of they are "blessed" with being small and having a 12 kt speed. This game, I'll use them in the front line to move supply and maybe small units. I expect life on these ships to be exciting and short.
xAKL Daigen (68) (2360, 10, 82, 1074, 0, 1650): I don't see these ships being particularly useful. They are pretty small. I anticipate using them in the SRA after it is liberated to move small quantities of troops and supplies around when needed.
xAKL Kiso-E (77) (1890, 213, 11, 0, 530, 0, 830): In addition to these 77 xAKLs, there are 31 that start as PBs. I plan on converting all of the Kisos to PBs. They're not very good but their 11 knot speed will allow them to be ablative armor to the multitude of 10 knot cargo ships.
xAKL To'su (37) (1700, 10, 0, 139, 0, 215): In addition to the xAKLs, there are 34 PB, 28 AMc and 18 ACM. Note that the PB have a 12 knot speed. I'm going to convert most or all of them to PB. They're small and utterly useless, but are good ablative armor.
New Classes in DaBigBabes:
xAKL Kujira (9) (4900, 12, 0, 184, 0, 300): There are 25 of these that are AMc. At first, I was planning on converting the remaining 9 to AMc, but I may convert them to a 12 kt PB. We'll see.
xAKL Ku'dai (31) (1200, 10, 0, 82, 0, 140): These guys can't do anything but haul small amounts of cargo. No idea what I'll do with them, but I'll think of something.
xAKL Ha'chi (8) (1200, 10, 0, 103, 0, 160): I converted them to AMc to match the 8 that begin the game as AMc.