The Kaya is NOT a destroyer, it is a 2nd-class DD re-fit as a "Fast Transport" that carries Daihatsu barges for "on-the-go" launching. As such, it does carry guns, like all of the other transports do. You will not see it performing DD duties due to its importance as a troop transport, and you do NOT want to lose the troops to a marauding submarine - you let the escorts do that, while the transports keep on getting on... hence the designation as a troop transport. I wish we had a better model of a "Fast Transport", even though they didn't get to participate much, but they were similar in purpose to the US LST vessel. Think of the Kaya as an APD Manley class transport for the US.
As for loading variations, the game attempts a slight attempt at that, but it is not based upon being loaded or unloaded, just in the "DisplacementVariation=" found in the "Sea / ShipName / ShipName.cfg" file. The variation just amounts to the tonnage. I doubt, but am not certain if it affects where the ship "sits" in the water. You couldn't move most of them much and still have them able to do sea-keeping in even slightly rough weather, since a few of them cannot...
To truly simulate a loaded versus unloaded ship, you would need to full-clone a ship, and vary their "center" on the water. Then drive yourself nuts trying to "balance" not only the look, but the sea-keeping as well, ~then~, my favorite part - drive yourself bonkers incorporating them in the Campaign files...
- no thanks, especially since, as you noted there Mad Mardigan, there would then be two entries in the RecMan for each ship, and even a person with the patience of DanielCoffey would throw his arms up from sheer frustration with the sil files...
