@theFaller
I just found this, I think its new, on trainworld about sonarmen:

Sonarman on FF, DD, CL and CV:
- FF, DD class ships will be able to detect Submarines without Sonarman, but the detect
range will be about 60% of the sight range of the ship. If a Sonarman is on the FF or DD
class ship, it will have more detect range.
　
- Ship classes above CL will not be able to detect submarines due to the ship noise.
　
- If a ship suitable to detect submarines is using Overheat, it will be unable to detect a
submarine.
　
- Sonarman will be able to work on CV classes, so CVs can detect Submarines.

Krauts that is a good point. Sometimes if you are south and the BB's get sunk, you
won't be able to get anywhere useful in time. I will try the CL setup.

=.= I think if I wrote the guide to IJN AA guns, I'd have tested all of them don't you
think? Yes I have seen and used the 4.7 and 6.1 A guns awesome range.

What you fail to realize beg is what happens if you get overwhelmed in say the
south and all your BBs are sunk and you live? In a Mogami CA, your going to die
because you can't make it out of there. In the CL you can outpace the enemy BBs
and dodge their fire until you reach a safer location. This is just an example, but that
extra 4k DP is easily taken away and your oneshottable at BB3+ tiers.

What happens if you fail to realise there is a high level CV on your side protecting
south? Are you going to scavage? No you would probably go north, but in a CA, by
the time you get there everyone is dead or there are no more planes in the air.
Speed is alot more important then DP in this situation

Krauts08

pegleg, you are ignoring facts, but anyway, yes, a DD with sonarman will have more
detecting range for subs, but the default sonar range is more than enough.

BBs dont cross everytime with 24 knts speed, they normally travel 39 or 42, or even 50
knts OH, with 2 min or a few more seconds on that same speed. a ship ttraveling a "normal"
26 knts speed wont catch them in a difficult situation. just buy a new mogami (you can do
it) and keep it as CL. Use the same guns that you use on your CA, and switch around. for
me i have tried and prefered the mog CL over the CA, speciallt because of speed, because
you can go to different locations to clear scouts and help a troubled BB in some
location..... thrust me, speed > DP. but if you preffer the CA one, then its all choises
ppl make!

@The Faller
Is that true that a dd has built in sonar and that putting a sonarman on him gives
you no more range in detecting submerged and/or higher level subs? I need to
research this, thanks for that tip.

I get huge experience if I take down a lot of planes in the Mog41. I get similar
experience as I get in Nagato/Fuso believe it or not. I don't know if that is because
my gunners are level 81 and shoot down lots of planes every time. And I get 10k to
25k credits per battle (even if I'm on losing fleet).

re: DP extra. Since I typically have a BB3 level crew on Mog41, that extra DP I have
makes that extra 4k valuable. In missions on a winning fleet I typically get zero
damage. In a close battle I will get hit from time to time but I've never been sunk
after wandering into range of BB. I only get sunk at the end of a battle when I'm on
losing fleet and the enemies close in to sweep up the CV's.

But to be fair, I have not experimented with the CL version in AAW config. I don't
think one can have both versions in harbor, can they?

@TheKrauts
Have you experience with the IJN DP guns (i.e. the 4.7 and 6.1)? They have I think
the longest range of any DP gun. The key to being a good AAW support boat is
keeping your BB's alive so that they can sink enemy fleet. You keep BB's alive by
shooting down tb/db and by keeping enemy blind (scouts and fighters).

Thus if you want to help you fleet, the speed that you need is the ability to just
outpace the BB's that you escort. BB's cruise at 24-ish. A MogCA with some bulge
and a good crew cruises at 27-28. That is plenty of speed.

In an Emden or Emerald or Moltke with shorter range guns you need speed to move
towards planes and dodge shots from enemy bb's (since you are often inside the
line). In Mog41 you can sit inside the line and take out waves of db's and loitering
fighters and any scouts that can see your fleet.

i personally just grab whateve ship's closest to 15 levels above the crew i'm
leveling...

overall, i find best AA ships are..

SY>yami>amagi>B65>mogami CA>myoko>mogami CL>DDs and such

@ pegleg85

here's the deal, you phail (not fail) by saying an AA ship doesnt need speed, period!
AND, as i said, when you play as AA ship, you dont play it for credits or EXP. If you want
credits, get a CV, if you want experience, use a BB or a CA with NO AA shells. If you want
EXPERTS in your crew, you get an AA ship.

anyway, it seems like the 6.1'' has crappy dmg if they're not AA guns(so i give you reason
on that matter), which were the ones i used, otherwise the other variation does more dmg,
and faster rld which is somehow more important. AND i was reffering to the 5'', not 4.7''!!

About the "taking more hits on a CA", its like this:
mog CL has 9000 DP, and the CA variation has 13000 DP. A diference between then makes the
CA having more 4000 DP, which is useless because a BB can take that dmg away with 2, 3
shells max. saying so, that advantage would only apply to an infime number of games, and
yet, the Mog CA, if he does survive with that DP left, it will have reduced speed, THUS
making him a more easier target to shoot. And yet, as you said, "With IJN guns you can
stay well inside of BB line (unlike emdens) and have the range to shoot down planes
easily.", so why crediting a ship which has more DP?!

PS- if you insist using the CA variation, then do one thing in the escort: take out the
sonarman from him, DDs can detect subs without sonarman!|

"Speed is not an issue with an AA boat" ~ Pegleg85

This is a huge fail and should not be taken into account.

AA boats need as much OH and speed they can get so they can dodge as well as
reach hot spots. If you want to plod around at slow speed and engage whatever
comes at you thats fine, bud I'd much rather reach hotspots full of planes then pick
the wrong spot to AA and get nothing

Krauts08

Actually, it's the Mog CL that takes BB hits better than the CA.
The CA may have more DP, but the CL only takes 50% damage from BB sized shells,
like all other CL's, subs and DD/FF.

@TheFaller - With level 80 dp gunners, I get HUGE experience in the CA mog so that
extra slot is worth it. Sometimes CV parks a dozen fighters over the friendly BB line
and then goes off to do something else and I just sit there and pick them off. In a
good game with a winning side I get 25k credits and 20k experiences. With a CA.
Amazing.

Also, the 6.1 has MUCH more damage than 4.7.

@everyone the golden angles on trainworld are out of date post-buff. Apparently
angles and range for 4.7 and 6.1 match up now. I use 27.

@Proponents of MogCL over MogCA - MogCA has that extra levelling slot. Speed is
not an issue with an AA boat, you just need to be able to outpace the BB's whom
you are escorting and you need some overheat incase some unchivalric BB decides to
shoot at you instead of a BB.

Also the MogCA can take a few hits from BB's and not be sunk. In most games
I take no damage at all. I occasionally catch a few shells but that doesn't sink me.
With IJN guns you can stay well inside of BB line (unlike emdens) and have the range
to shoot down planes easily.

Proponents of CL version do have a point that the CA can't see subs. However I
have adjusted for that by taking a dd escort ship that holds a sonar guy (and some
guns to harrass subs that surface). That has been working well.

@Everyone - about experts. I power levelled that Kita BO as follows: q-class AW
config in blitz for 12 levels. Then on an Emerald AA boat up to level 25 or so. Then in
Mog'41 up to 52. When I took the sailor off the boat to class up I found that he had
138 experts!