[Jimbuna]

Catching up on this has reminded me of something else.

If the crew were to automatically load the first shell they would commence firing, depleting your ammo level in little to no time.

Now bear in mind the low number of shells you were given at the outset of a patrol (prior to my additional ammo mod), look at a merchant through your UZO and press the space bar.....notice how rapidly the crew fire the deck gun, observe how innacurate they can be and most importantly, look at how quickly your ammo stocks diminish.