Originally Posted by Kinetic152
I use LvL 120 gunners on my Type U with 220 vets and full experted.
If you use a decent lvl 120 ENG on it, you still go 40 KNTs
As long as you have all the speed you need, then weight due to sailors is an advantage because they add service functions (Repair/Restore). My target speed is 39 knots (OH) because I run armor up to 1 click above the speed drop (37 OH). Running at 39 vs 40 is a minimal price to pay for some extra protection.
It might be beneficial to review your existing sailors (gunners) to see which one provides the best Repair/Restore ability. I'd suggest adding sailors to that gunner more so than the weaker one. The operational aspect of the guns won't change any.
I recently blew off two hundred experts on my bridge operator trying to get just 10 vets (didn't get any). My defense power dropped considerably without any speed change. If you have the speed you want, go ahead and add some weight with sailors wherever possible.