Is a ship's flank speed the highest speed listed or the current highest speed if speed is reduced from damage?
I would assume it's the current highest speed because in the few rules where it is mentioned (1.2.1, coal fired ships cannot maintain flank speed indefinitely, 4.2.2 moving at flank speed once the enemy is contacted, 4.7.3 POL consumption) it seems that going as fast as is currently possible would be what is in mind.
For a second question, the Now Hear This box on page 1-2 mentions how running at flank speed would make life on the ship difficult, to include making using a rangefinder more difficult. This would imply that there should be penalties to gunnery and probably the inability to launch torpedoes or aircraft if a ship is running at flank speed. But I can't find any rules to that affect.
So if there isn't such a rule, I'd like to add one for my games and I wondered if anyone had any thoughts on that. And if flank speed does cause penalties, what is flank speed in that case? It seems from reading the Now Hear This, that in this case, flank speed is not "the fastest the ship can go right now" but is instead "a speed faster than it's hull speed". I assume that wouldn't change with damage?
Thanks,
Jeremy