Ships not being able to pass through friendly fort

[arado234]

At the port of Keil if its fortified the German navy cant pass through it.You would think that if they fortified it they would build it with ship access in mind.Fixed in a next patch?

[MJY]

arado234

Yes, I noticed this too. I was of two minds on this. At first, I thought that defenders in such a situation would construct defences in such a way as to allow the movement of friendly ships (e.g., movable anti-submarine nets and open channels through minefields). I was also really annoyed the first time I built a fort at this strategic location as it unexpectedly made it much more difficult for the Kriegsmarine to sally forth to attack Allied shipping and the like -- especially after my opponent to Denmark!

However, after doing a little research, I changed my mind. (See http://www.kiel-canal.com/) That was because the Kiel passage was -- and still is -- a relatively narrow canal. It is not the same as defending a much bigger body of water such as the English Channel or even the Oresund Strait between Sweden and Denmark. The canal was last widened in 1914 and in my opinion does not look like it would be wide enough to be, for example, defended by mines while preserving useful mine-free channels for friendly ships to move through. The thing is, in fact, narrow enough that I think I could drive a golf ball across it -- although with my slice I make no predictions as to where on the other side my ball would come to rest!!!

Of course, one could argue that the canal could be defended without recourse to mines or submarine nets or other permanent anti-ship obstructions (e.g., the kind of undersea obstacles used to defend the beaches of the Atlantic Wall) that restrict shipping (e.g., by relying solely on coastal artillery and the like), but I think a realistic defence of the canal would effectively close the canal to all shipping.

[arado234]

You could build the Fortress around Keil with locks on it like on the Panama canal.Have the gates open up for friendly ships to pass through.I know it would take longer to build but it would still be possible.