How long do you keep a ship/class in service?

[nimrod]

Aeson,

Thank you for the clarification and correction on blockade strength; it is much appreciated.

[Noname117]

My model:

1st: Always scrap immediately after a war.

Bs: Scrap between 1910 and 1920.
BBs: Scrap original BBs starting in the late 20s or 30s, unless numbers are needed due to later losses and the early BBs have a 23 to 24 knot top speed and better guns than 12" q0. Then I might consider scrapping later. Hold onto any which go 27 knots or faster into the late-game.
BCs: Scrap 1st gen BCs in the late 20s or 30s. The rest should be scrapped when armor and armament-wise they become inferiors to everything main opponents have. There is a possibility of carrier conversion, especially for 1st and 2nd gen BCs, either when the tech first comes around or in emergencies
CAs: Scrap 1st gen CAs in the late teens or early 20s. Maybe convert a couple into early CVLs which then get scrapped in the 30s or 40s. I usually will build proto-BCs of a type similar to Blucher before I can get proper BCs with a 8 gun broadside. These ships either get scrapped with the early BCs or, if they're build fast, stay in service into the late-game. CAs built in the late teens and onwards don't get scrapped.
CLs: CLs start getting rolling-scrapped based on their top speed in the late teens. Maybe a set of early CLs can be converted into experimental AVs. CLs going 27-28 knots usually last either into the 40s or into the end-game.
CVs: Scrap conversions with CA+ levels of armor and 1910s machinery in the 40s, keep the rest.
CVLs: Scrap early/small conversions in the 30s or 40s, keep higher capacity carriers into the 50s.
AVs: Build a couple early on; convert into CVLs. Possibly convert from old CLs for scouting. Scrap or convert all by 1940.
DDs: Don't scrap. Convert old DDs into sub-hunters.
KEs: Don't scrap.
Subs: 30-ish years before scrapping? Not sure on this one tbh.

[brygun]

I've had 1899 B dreadnoughts convert into first era carriers that kept on in the fleet, and getting kills, to the end of the game.

My fleets would have 80 and 100 plane carriers but in some cases there is no time between wars to do a lot of swapping. Even at 16-20 planes a B to carrier has its uses. Their tonnage counts toward sea control so I tend to think of them more as coastal carriers and training flight decks.

In the newer game rules the number of carrier planes allowed is adjusted around your carrier force so having some under staff training carriers is useful to keep the main CVs air groups topped up. Imagine it as where pilots can rotate in for initial training then off the to battle carriers.

DDs general die with only a few making it into being dismantled though I might do it. Mothballed DDs can be brought out for ASW use and thats handy.

Other ships depend on the game and the changing tech.

[Deleted]

My fleet faces some serious challenges.

So all ships have very long service lives.
Well, except for the light units like, 60%+ attrition rate.

Generally if they last long enough they lose to my "caste system" where inferior ships are scrapped in the 1940's so better ships don't have to exist in the same space.

[gurudennis]

I scrap ships when they a) no longer have a valid role they can fill, or b) become a liability such that the risk of taking them to battle is no longer outweighed by their fighting power.

Something I noticed is ships that are built before the WWI era tend to become utterly obsolete after a decade or two at most, whereas ships built after that point in many cases remain useful for 3 decades or even longer.

[Deleted]

Any ship: scrap once the enemy pushes you into building a series of new and more powerful ships which you are unable to pay for without srapping some old ones.

[Deleted]

Apr 2, 2021 17:21:53 GMT -6 brygun said:

I've had 1899 B dreadnoughts convert into first era carriers that kept on in the fleet, and getting kills, to the end of the game.

DDs general die with only a few making it into being dismantled though I might do it. Mothballed DDs can be brought out for ASW use and thats handy.

Now that's efficiency.

Glad to see I'm not the only one keeping living fossils into the 1950s.

[brygun]

Jun 11, 2021 16:15:48 GMT -6 expendable said:

Apr 2, 2021 17:21:53 GMT -6 brygun said:

I've had 1899 B dreadnoughts convert into first era carriers that kept on in the fleet, and getting kills, to the end of the game.

DDs general die with only a few making it into being dismantled though I might do it. Mothballed DDs can be brought out for ASW use and thats handy.

Now that's efficiency.

Glad to see I'm not the only one keeping living fossils into the 1950s.

Imagine ... a sunny day in Vladivostok... 1940s or 1950s

tensions high with the Japanese

then  the japanese launch a surprise attack

the russian gunners see the sooty black smoke on the horizon

Its the antiquated engines of those old coal burning monsters that fought in your grand father's day

but that smoke is on the horizon

yet there...

high up

dots of black as if ranging soot of coal smoke...

the japanese air formations!

torpedo bombers!

Some 30 torpedo bombers, advanced high capability designs, diving on the Russian fleet at anchor

On release is seen how the aerial torpedoes themselves are smeared with the coal dust from their carriers

columns of water shooting from the sides of ship as coal-carrier  aerial torpedoes smash the modern battleships


The next day the newspaper read a quote from the Japanese Admiral:
Carriers are old, torpedoes are new.

(this happened in one game)

[Deleted]

My case is much less awesome.

I kept some 19th century CAs in frontline service into the 1940's, continually updating their artillery and fire control.

So when the Japanese Empire expanded into the Mediterranean (Egypt, Albania), igniting another Italo-Japanese war (between the 6 world wars I lost count), they were reactivated and deployed to the Mediterranean Sea.

After the second Mediterranean campaign (first of this war) they were withdrawn from service.

I'd kept them for the 13 inch guns. Back in the 1900-1920 period they sank several BCs. Afterwards it was all second line fire support.
Second Mediterranean campaign was not good for them because of Italian air superiority. 1 was sunk.

[kagami777]

Jun 11, 2021 20:17:11 GMT -6 brygun said:

Jun 11, 2021 16:15:48 GMT -6 expendable said:

Now that's efficiency.

Glad to see I'm not the only one keeping living fossils into the 1950s.

Imagine ... a sunny day in Vladivostok... 1940s or 1950s

tensions high with the Japanese

then  the japanese launch a surprise attack

the russian gunners see the sooty black smoke on the horizon

Its the antiquated engines of those old coal burning monsters that fought in your grand father's day

but that smoke is on the horizon

yet there...

high up

dots of black as if ranging soot of coal smoke...

the japanese air formations!

torpedo bombers!

Some 30 torpedo bombers, advanced high capability designs, diving on the Russian fleet at anchor

On release is seen how the aerial torpedoes themselves are smeared with the coal dust from their carriers

columns of water shooting from the sides of ship as coal-carrier  aerial torpedoes smash the modern battleships


The next day the newspaper read a quote from the Japanese Admiral:
Carriers are old, torpedoes are new.

(this happened in one game)

I am so glad I am not the only one to have done this! I literally designed a BB in early game to convert it to my first CV and clear the flag. The Hosho remained in service until 1957 when it finally sunk in combat (SSM got her after the battle ended), it was my most decorated carrier with a total of 67 ship kills (Some admittedly earned before her conversion), 3 CV, 2 CVL, some assorted dozen B/BB/BC around 20 cruisers and the rest DD/KE/AMC. I was so sad she didn't make it to the end of the game.

[kagami777]

Mar 27, 2021 14:49:44 GMT -6 navalperson said:

I’m curious on how long do you usually keep a ship in service. I’m playing as Japan right now and have kept some old battleships built in 1910s don’t remember the specific dates built but around 1915 and so. But now it’s 1948 and I’ve thought about replacing them but due to budget and focusing on building a somewhat large carrier fleet I’ve put it in the back burner. So I kind of wanted to know how long everyone keeps their ships.

I keep ships in service as long as my finances allow and they last. So long as they don't have low freeboard or cramped conditions I keep them till they go down in combat or I need money. The older ships tend to get stuck on FS if I can keep them active or they are Reserve or Mothball for most of the time and TP during war. I will delete pre-dreadnoughts when it reaches the point where the detonate on battle opening or a torpedoes hit of any kind instantly sinks them, they aren't worth the money at that point.

[ludovic]

A lot of what I do has been covered already but:

B's: I start scrapping them immediately because I'm not sure when I should start so I scrap one per war unless my leadership complains. Once CVL conversions roll around I convert the rest, partly to get early carriers and partly to make an end run around prestige hits.
These converted CVLs are slow, so I will scrap them as soon as they can't keep up with my fleet. I try to fit the experienced crew into new carriers but I only hesitate to scrap them for a short time, even if there isn't any room, because a CVL with aircrew is expensive.

AVs: Also rolling scrap them one per war once they are obsolete. I only create an initial batch of 4, and from then on concentrate on putting scouts on other ships, so by the time they are marked obsolete I should have sufficient scouting capabilities without them.

CLs: I'm not sure whether I should keep them around as raiders/raider hunters, or do a minor refit, or scrap. What I actually do is scrap one obsolete CL per war as well due to indecision. What I know not to do, however, is do an engine rebuild, because for CLs on down it can be almost as expensive to do a rebuild as it is to make a whole new ship that does everything the rebuilt one does but a little better. For BBs/BCs/CAs it's usually more like half the price to do a refit which is worth it to me.

[xenontennessee]

I almost never scrap my ships. Since I play France with "less but better" policy, every single ship fits the job well in at least 30 years, with just a little work to rebuild every decade. Now it's 1940s, and apart from legacy fleet, the only ships I scrapped were some pre-dreadnaughts built vary early in game.

It's fascinating to see my monster armor cruisers bulit in 1900s bullying the brand new raiding heavy cruisers of other countries with their 10in guns. The 8in belt makes my “old ladies” still immune to any ship of the same kind from long range.

[Deleted]

I tend to convert early BCs. You dont have to update the speed. Just put there oil fired engines, remove the main battery and put in as much planes as you can. When it comes to the super early 21 000 ton battlecruisers, they can usually carry about 30 airplanes, which is a lot more than 14-16 airplanes on a converted CVL from an old heavy cruiser.

[zederfflinger]

I suspect that the expansion’s new aging mechanics may change how long older ships are viable for.