Number of Flagships - something to think about

It is?  I haven't played in awhile.  One of those rules that slipped out of my mind.

I think the use of smoke is a nice consolation prise for losing initiative. However, I'd almost always rather have initiative for placement of ships based on what my opponent does. I've not had a lot of success relying entirely on smoke with not initiative bonus. I'm all for adding more flag units.

That approach really emphasizes the push to get the highest initiative possible.  On the positive, it can drive flotilla leaders and DDs into the mix that might not otherwise be there.  On the negative, some Navies in War at Sea have more access to initiative boosters than others, leading to some lopsided battles.  Angels 20 suffers from this dynamic a bit...unlike W@S, there really is no reason to "want" to lose initiative in AAAF.  It can be pretty frustrating to play the air game and lose initiative over and over again.

Personally, I like the fact that losing initiative favors smokers.  It offers a nice counterpoint for the uber-initiatve bonus build and kind of keeps it in check.  It also helps navies that can't manage more than an Initiative +3>.  

Nothing particularly wrong with that house rule, as long as everybody knows its the case going in to fleet selection.  It would definitely change the way I build fleets.

Some South Dakota insurance?

The SA is fine, but it doesn’t make up for 3 Covering Fires on a 9-Armor target.

When USS Massachusetts came out in Set 2 it became the "value standard" BB for the US and the game. When South Dakota came out it unseated Massachusetts as an even better value. Then Alabama came out and took the crown for the class. South Dakota can hold itself just fine IMO. Continuous power creep in this class notwithstanding.

I wouldn’t mind a sister ship to Scipione Africano. The Italian’s don’t have a flotilla leader yet and that was what this cruiser class was designed for. Only natural for one of these to get it. Would instantly be a hit in Italian swarm builds.