I notice that some people seem to have hauling fits for Orcas. Why is this? Deep Space Transports are pretty decent with the Cloak Trick. An Orca can move lots of ore or ice around if you’re sure you won’t be suicide ganked.
However, the capacity for normal stuff doesn’t seem impressive without cargo expanders and cargohold optimization. Those modules cut the tank of the ship. Some people are comfortable with that, and I can sort of see someone deciding to go for that option.
With the lows are a DC, something besides a cargo expander, and the rigs don’t have cargohold optimization, I don’t see why anyone would use an Orca to haul anything besides assembled ships and mining stuff. I suppose if someone wanted to move 3 cruisers with T2 rigs and then decided “oh, I had some stuff I wanted to take to the destination constellation anyways” they’d load up whatever stuff they need to bring, but I don’t see why someone needing to move normal stuff would think “Orca!”
Maybe they want to do both as they haul stuff around. Their destination may 10 jumps away with a few systems where the mining is interesting. They pass by a system with few players, they may warp to a belt real quick for a few before continuing their route… just a wild guess. The temptation to fit one ship to serve a few purposes could be their motivation.
This would be a good reason to haul in an Orca alone.
High amount of hitpoints, ability to use MWD+Cloak trick, ability to carry 40k m3 normal stuff, 150k m3 ores and 400k m3 assembled ships makes it a decent hauling ship in certain cases.
Sure, a Bowhead can move more assembled ships at once, but cannot cloak.
A DST can carry more regular goods and is much cheaper, but what if you want to move ores? And ships?
A freighter is much slower.
And maybe you want to haul, but you don’t have any other ships trained on your character but mining support ships. Then too the Orca is a good option.
Not saying I’ve ever hauled with an Orca, but I do see the appeal.
Last I recall the Orca was a great ship to move 16x Catalysts along with fittings across her Majesty’s high- sec space safely that brings protection from danger or risk of losing a catalysts on a gate to gwunkers.
The temptation to fit one ship to serve a few purposes could be their motivation.