Drydock Questionnaire #1
Many of those interested in movecraft have so many questions and so few answers. My hope is that the occasional questionnaire post will allow the CCNet playerbase to be more engaged and informed with this server’s vehicular plugin.
If anyone would like to ask questions to be answered in these posts, please DM me on Discord at ashes7605 and I will do my best to answer, then hopefully go more in-depth in the questionnaire post.
The following questions are a mix of FAQ, questions asked to me specifically, and questions that I presume many beginners might have.
How can civilians utilize combat vessels for cargo and what is the best craft for light cargo transport?
The armed merchantman New Orleans (foreground) and the cargo ship Spirit of Jean d'Arc (background) in the port city of Commonwealth, Imperium Romanum.
To answer the first part of the question, “combat vessels,” or any warship in general, usually have most of their allowed percentage of chests and barrels taken up by the ship's main guns and their dispensers for torpedo launchers if it is a lighter ship. To remove guns from a ship specifically for the purpose of allowing for more cargo transport is relatively counterintuitive in most cases, as it leaves the very cargo you are trying to protect more likely to be sunk due to a lack of armament.
Not only does that make your ship an easier target to sink, but most ships that are used to intercept others are fast ships such as corvettes and/or destroyers. A destroyer with less cannons and/or torpedoes is easy pickings- and the same can be said for cruisers and dreadnoughts which are much slower than destroyers.
An argument could be made for corvettes, and corvettes most certainly can be used for cargo transport, but only to a very limited degree.
Another factor would be the cost efficiency of utilizing warships at all. 2,000 blocks for a maximum size corvette that can only hold a handful of chests is a bit expensive when compared to a standard cargo ship or even an armed merchantman. Both are relatively speedy ships and can carry very large loads.
As for the best craft for “light” cargo transport: The corvette would probably be the best choice. If “light” is being defined as less than a couple of double chests, then a corvette’s high speed and manoeuvrability means it is near impossible to intercept and can transport cargo at very high speeds. Anything more than "light” transport can be dealt with using a cargo ship or an armed merchantman.
What kind of screening should I provide for my aircraft carrier?
An aircraft carrier sailing alone- a strategic nightmare for any navy.
Aircraft carriers are often very large crafts that can be very cumbersome to manoeuvre. When they’re deployed, often times their pilot is using the aircraft as a squadron, meaning the carrier is left immobilized and unaware of its surroundings.
To deal with this, carriers need escorts depending heavily on the situation. For starters, no matter the environment or enemy capabilities, a carrier should always have an escort- even a single destroyer sometimes is good enough. No escort means the carrier is left at the mercy of whatever ship, enemy or neutral, comes across it while paralyzed and it can be sunk by a mere corvette if left unattended.
One cruiser and one destroyer tend to be sufficient protection for a carrier should the attacking force be only one enemy ship. The number of required escort ships goes up exponentially as the number of enemy ships that are pursuing the carrier also goes up. This is because, unlike simply screening a dreadnought or even a cruiser, these escort ships are required to protect a target that often times cannot move or fight back if the pilot is using a squadron. An enemy force can afford to launch a suicide attack with a destroyer against a carrier so long as the carrier is sunk as carriers grant often game-changing amounts of points when sunk.
If you are the one piloting a carrier and you know of enemy forces closing in on your ship and your escorts do not have overwhelming numerical superiority, it is best that you retreat, even if it means abandoning the area entirely and leaving piloted aircraft stranded, as losing aircraft is recoverable, but losing a carrier is devastating. Of course, if you are retreating, ensure that an ally escorts you while you do so. If a carrier retreats without an escort, the attacking force can simply evade the escorts and go straight for the unprotected carrier.
What kind of things should I invest in for my new/small nation's navy?
The scout destroyer R.M.S. Nanami moored in the town of Mizuno, when the empire of Ryujima was still a Pacific naval power in October of 2023
Many small/new nations make the mistake of believing that to be powerful, they need a massive navy immediately and run themselves and their economies dry very rapidly. To address this, here is a list that breaks down what new/small nations should do to ensure that they can sustain their navies.
- First, a navy is a very expensive investment and sometimes not necessarily required for a nation's survival. Some nations can rely on allies with strong navies to cover for them or their nations are simply landlocked, and they don’t need warships. Consider the reasons why your nation may want a navy. Are my forts threatened by warships? Is my economy and trade threatened by enemy commerce raiding? Do my allies require help that requires your nation to have a navy? Questions such as these are vital to ensure the best use of your nation’s time and resources.
- If your nation does require a navy, the first step is infrastructure. Many small nations have their “navies” spread out across many random towns. It’s disorganized, often poorly supplied, and it’s detrimental to your nations' ability to deploy warships overall. If your nation is going to field ships, it requires a port town- a designated location where the majority of your nation's ships are located. This means that, should you or an ally require maritime action, everyone knows where the ships are and where to park them once they’re done using them. Other benefits include a centralized ammunition/supply depot, drydocks, and/or repairing stations.
- Standardization, standardization, standardization. One of the most important aspects of your navy will be identification. If your nation members or allies are not able to tell what nation a ship is from, they will almost certainly attack first, ask questions later. A standardized fleet means that your ships are not only easily identifiable, but they’re also much easier to repair (as you only require one save-state for each ship type), much easier to refit, much easier to maintain, and it boosts coordination and unity among your navy.
- Build up your fleets gradually. A brand-new nation or a small one that wants a navy will quickly burn itself out if it tries to match the strength of CCNet’s naval superpowers. Start with destroyers; they’re versatile, cheap, fast, easily supplied, and easy to learn. Many larger navies rely heavily on them for their main numerical strength. Cruisers can be added gradually. A ratio of one cruiser for every four destroyers should be sufficient for most new navies. As for dreadnoughts, they are quite the investment- almost double the size of a cruiser and heavily armed and armoured- even their shells are expensive. A new/small nation generally doesn’t have a need for dreadnoughts unless there is a particular person who is especially skilled with them, and even then, one or two for even the largest navies is sufficient.
When are dreadnoughts useful? Are they worth it?
The dreadnought S.M.S. Nova (midground) escorted by the light cruiser Neptune (foreground) and the destroyer Daring (background).
Lone dreadnoughts are extremely vulnerable to enemy destroyers, cruisers, and even corvettes. Their slow speed and sluggish turn-rate make them easy targets for torpedoes and getting boxed in. This means that it is very important that screening ships are used.
A screening ship is any ship that is tasked with escorting a heavier ship. Destroyers and cruisers are the usual screening ships for dreadnoughts. Destroyers are adept at dealing with corvettes or distracting enemy cruisers and cruisers are best used to sink attacking destroyers and even assist the dreadnought in sinking attacking cruisers.
Sometimes, dreadnoughts may be an unnecessary deadweight in a fleet. Depending on the main force used by the opposition, cruisers may be the heaviest ship type needed and a dreadnought may slow a fleet down more than it is worth.
Dreadnoughts are an expensive investment for a fleet and the circumstances in which they are viable can be quite varied. Here is a list of circumstances where a dreadnought may be a good choice:
- You can afford to lose one. There is little use in a ship if your nation cannot afford to replace it.
- You have sufficient screening. Lone dreadnoughts are easy targets for destroyers and cruisers. A single dreadnought should typically have at least 1.5x its own displacement in escort ships in whatever combination of cruisers and/or destroyers is best suited for the environment.
- Dreadnoughts are usually deployed when the enemy fleet has an abundance of cruisers or their own dreadnoughts. Keep in mind that more than even a single cruiser can do some serious damage to a single dreadnought, so the dreadnought cannot be allowed to engage enemy cruisers and dreadnoughts alone. They are meant to be the backbone of a line of battle, not the entire force.
What are the best dimensions for my ships?
Two dreadnoughts with vastly different dimensions.
Warships of all classes come in all shapes and sizes. Other than aesthetics, there are a multitude of reasons that a ship may have a specific type of shape. These may include, but are not limited to armour layout, gun layout, pilot placement, navy doctrine, port space, fleet composition, gun type, ship freeboard, and even playstyle specifications.
Below is a list of the general advantages and disadvantages of the two main ship types:
The dimensions for the type of ship that you want to build are almost entirely based on the aforementioned factors and there are an infinite number of combinations that can be used to reach whatever goal it is you are trying to achieve with your warship.
What is the definition of the vocabulary used in Drydock articles?
A line of battle consisting of dreadnoughts, cruisers, and destroyers.
Naval vocabulary and slang can be confusing at times and is used quite liberally throughout Drydock articles. Here is a list of terms that come to mind:
Capital Ship – A large warship, typically a dreadnought, aircraft carrier, or battlecruiser
Flagship – The ship commanded by the leader of a fleet- typically a dreadnought or battlecruiser.
Screening Ship – A ship tasked with escorting larger ships and protecting them from attacks from smaller ship classes- typically a cruiser or destroyer.
Vanguard – The front force in a fleet- typically composed of the strongest ships and most skilled pilots. Tasked with breaking the enemy formation.
Rear Guard – The rearmost force in a fleet- typically composed of older warships and less skilled pilots. Tasked with protecting the rest of the fleet from getting flanked and/or attacked from behind.
Fore – Forward of a ship.
Aft – Behind a ship.
Port – Left side of a ship.
Starboard – Right side of a ship.
Bow – The front of a ship.
Stern – The back of a ship.
Citadel – The most heavily armoured portion of a ship- typically extends up into the turret barbettes.
Barbette – The rotating base of a turret.
Turret – The rotating mechanism in which the main armament of a warship is housed- placed on barbettes.
Beam – The width of a ship.
Displacement – The size/mass of a ship.
Convoy – A large group of vehicles all traveling together.
Line of Battle – An antiquated term referring to a formation of capital ships in which they form a line and travel single-file, firing on the enemy formation. Popular for its simplicity and effectiveness in maintaining formation.
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