Carrier status, was Re: More Fleet Book questions

Mike Elliott wrote:

> >>How many fighters can be launched/recovered in a turn?
> 
> >At present, same as FTII.
> >
> Yes, but now that we have removed the major ship categories, are we
> back to the "when is a carrier not a carrier" question?

Um... yes. And I think the old answer still applies: "A carrier is any
ship with more than 50% (or 66%, whatever you like) of its non-hull,
non-engine Mass used for fighter bays; other fighter-carrying ships are
not carriers (and therefore only able to launch 1 squadron per turn".
I'm
not sure about armour, though.

Using the "more than 50%" rule, counting armour into the Mass of which
the fighter bays must use up more than 50%, the only FB "carrier"
designs
that doesn't quite make it are the NSL von Tegetthoff (not surprising,
considering the description!) and somewhat more embarrassing the ESU
Konstantin class. 

This doesn't change if armour counts as hull (ie, not as part of the
Mass
used for determining carrier status).

If screens are counted into the "hull, engines etc", the Konstantin too
becomes a carrier.

So, all in all, I'd use the definition:

"If more than 50% of the Mass not used for hull, engines, armour or
screens is devoted to fighter bays, the ship is a Carrier (and thus able
to launch 2 fighter squadrons at a time)."

On a second thought, I'd prefer to drop the carrier/non-carrier
distinction entirely and add in launch bays from EFSB - with the
difference that each launch bay can only launch one single fighter group
per turn, and a ship can have more than one. Not sure about what Mass it
should have, though... and of course it'll make the FB designs incorrect
:-/

Later,

Oerjan Ohlson
oerjan.ohlson@nacka.mail.telia.com

"Life is like a sewer.
  What you get out of it, depends on what you put into it."
- Hen3ry