Flying off decks

[Kaiser Kirk]

Howdy,

So, I'm looking at the Carrier techs :
Aircraft/Seaplane Carrier Architecture:
Baseline: None
1910: Experimental aviation ships. Requires and is automatically granted upon completion of the 1910 Aircraft tech.
1915: floatplanes; flying-off decks for wheeled aircraft. Primitive Air-Launched torpedoes
1918: gunpowder catapults for floatplanes; separate landing and taking-off decks for wheeled aircraft. Early Air-Launched torpedoes. Rapid Consecutive Takeoffs limited to single aircraft.
1922: hydraulic catapults; full length decks for wheeled aircraft; arrestor wires. Primitive Anti-Shipping Bombs. Rapid Consecutive Takeoffs limited to single squadrons

I was unsure what in the world one would be flying off an experimental with the 1910 tech, as 'floatplanes' and ' flying off decks' came in 1915. 
I think that leaves Seaplane tenders, which don't carry planes, but could count as experimental aviation ships.

With the 1915 tech, obviously seaplane carriers work, but you can only take off a flying-off deck with a wheeled aircraft ... so no wheeled landings - those are 1918.

I was going to simply do refurbishment to change the bow of my Mus-sag TBC to fit a flying -off deck.
But I realized really, all one should need is a refit :

Basic Refit

A basic refit is limited to changing external fittings, specifically:  above-deck torpedoes, mine-laying/sweeping gear, simple deck-mounted guns with ammo lockers, wireless, fire control, searchlights, and early radars and listening devices.  Temporary alterations to superstructure - dummy funnels and disguises, or emergency berthing - are also possible.

A flying off deck would count as a temporary alteration to the superstructure.

That said, in my case the vessel is 25 years old, and needs a refurbishment.
I'll just wind up doing it twice, one for the flight experiments, one for the 'carrier trials' when I have the 1918.

[The Rock Doctor]

My perspective earlier was that the 1915 tech didn't really leave much for the 1910 tech to do, and ideally would've just been one combined tech. 

Anyway, I did a refit for my old armored cruiser for the 1910 tech.  Since that included a flying-off deck and a seaplane plopped aft, neither of which were technically in the 1910 tech, I took the view that these installations were experimental:  Prone to failure, no operational/combat utility. 

From a storyline perspective, the expenditure and the dedication of the ship to trying out this stuff was part of the research and development of the 1915 tech, even if the costs of doing so didn't count towards the formal research cost.  1910 was "How do we build flying off decks and can we use them without dying?" while 1915 is, "We can safely use flying-off decks, what happens now that we're airborne?"

[TacCovert4]

I'm seeing the same.  Flying off decks give you some sort of an odd MAC sort of ship, where you could have a couple of landplane fighters aboard and just expend them as ammunition.  Now with seaplane carriers, but before catapults, I see flying off decks as where you're launching your amphibians (of which there were some, but they weren't as good as dedicated seaplanes).

[Kaiser Kirk]

I had originally considered an experimental carrier back for the 1910 tech,
and posted the reconstruction.

Then I re-read the tech and decided to drop the idea and do it for the 1915.

So now I'm trying to fit that into 1919.0
and I'm viewing it as a time to 'test' the new Aviation ship rules as well, and further ensure we're all on the same page.

About the only functional issue I'm seeing so far is somewhere along the line the penalty in airgroup size for a rebuilt ship did not make it to the final.
It was talked about, because I remember discussing Eagle vs. Lexington, etc, but I don't see it.
It probably should be in there.

oh well, back to trying to catch up on work work .

[The Rock Doctor]

That element should be there, yeah.

[TacCovert4]

I thought I saw it.  That conversions used 1.5 times the tonnage per plane due to inefficiency

[Kaiser Kirk]

Aha !

It is there, I missed it.

In a logical place, at the end of Miscellaneous weight :

Conversions
Conversions are inherently inefficient. Multiply required weights by 1.5.

[Desertfox]

I saw 1910 tech as experimental stuff, lets see if this actually works. I converted a Yodo under that assumption. 1915 tech would change the ship from experimental to operational. I also see the 1915 tech as allowing flying off decks from turrets like the British battleships had.

[Kaiser Kirk]

When I went to do it, I thought it was too ill-defined to actually make a ship for.
So I presumed that wooden flying off decks were being fitted to ships like Fox refers to.

But the 1915 tech only allows the flying off deck being fitted, no allowance for landing.
So I expect one could come up with some coastal patrol ship that would dash out
predawn, launch a scout, and have the scout aim for land at the end of the flight.
But with the ranges of the time, the utility would be so marginal.

Anyhow, now that the 1.5 x is found, I'll have to downsize the airgroup on my seaplane carrier a bit,
which is fine.