WesWorld

Folks:

I haven't seen many of you post info on the support vessels in your fleets - colliers, oilers, ammunition ships, tenders, and what-not.

So I'm not sure how to proceed in acquiring them. Is it expected that we build them all with our resources, or purchase them and refit them (paying with our resources only for the refits) or what?

Just curious, as I'm spending as much material on auxiliaries as I am warships these days.

J

I'm going for; purchsing the vessel, then using however much material it takes to refit them(25%). Unless of course its a carrier or a really specialised ship that would require extensive work.

Well, I've been building the Arctica class icebreakers from the keel up.

But theyd probably fit RA's definition of a really specialized ship.

I'd entertain the idea of tankers, ammo ships, tenders, etc being purchased and then refitted.

The 25% refit idea sounds good, after all, as auxilliaries are not true fighting ships, the concept of refitting existing merchant vessels seems logical.

Just my two-pence worth, of course!!

Well, I think we shouldn´t try to simulate aux. ships too. True, I have simed and listed my tenders but that was/is for roleplaying - more or less.

To sim aux. ships one needs at least an idea of just what you need and I can´t answer questions like

1.) How many tugs do I need to operate my naval bases and military vessels? 100? 200? 400?

2.) How many pilot cutters are necessary? Again several hundred I think and they surely won´t be of a single class...

3.) How many oilers or colliers are necessary to operate a fleet like the RSAN with all its aux. vessels?

4.) How many motor launches and harbour boats are necessary to operate my naval bases where there is not enough depth to sail into a harbour with all ships or enough place at the quays? Again several hundred if not thousands I guess...

5.) How many barques and lighters to transport personal, food, water, ammo and oil to and from my ships are necessary?

6.) Any ideas how to sim pump ships or how many the RSAN would operate? I can´t even guess...

7.) What about vessels that are operated as floating workshops (I´m not talking about tenders here.) or as power supply ships? How many would I need?

8.) What about vessels used as barracks where necessary? Do they even belong to the navy? I guess so but I´m not sure...

[...]

I guess, I could go on for an hour or so. :o/

So I have decided to avoid aux. ships. If I need one for a story I´ll generate it and I will continue to use and build tenders (they are armed and can be used as AMCs if really, really necessary) but that´s it.

However, if one of you guys likes to go into details it´ll be fine for me but please don´t expect I´ll do the same. Thanks.

Regards,

HoOmAn

PS: I also think our infrastructure is not build to maintain all those auxiliaries. Do you have enough docks to keep 500 tugs and pilot boats ruuning? Not to mention those several thousand other units?

Suits me. I was none too keen to spend the resources, but wanted to see what the consensus was. I agree that specialized units like icebreakers probably should be built by our yards, but will look to commercial sources for anything easily refitted into auxiliaries.