A cruiser, as mentioned, right now, can't even the odds. If you want protection from Buccaneer boats, FIX THE DESTROYER. And that can't happen this turn, because we need to keep them off the beaches, which the Tin Can of Wonder cannot do. Destroyers destroy torpedo boats--not subs. Destroyers were INVENTED to take out MTBs (Motor Torpedo Boats, really fast little boats that carry a couple big torpedoes and a machinegun or two). ASW got appended on later.
A few of us on Discord have hammered out a plan we're going to try and stick to for the next 4 to 5 turns (Including this one), which should get us ahead of them by a solid margin.
Design 1 (Now): Ice Giant (Secure TC/air transport of Salamanders)
Revision 1: 300mm---add gun-laying radar system
Design 2: Radio-guided glide bombs (Specifically RADIO, guys. A mother plane drives this thing into the ground. Literally. Or, rather, the sea.) [This bomb is basically the Fritz X, a German design deployed in 1943, and in development before 1940.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_XRevision 2: Fix radio bombs (Hopefully not necessary). Otherwise, shrink radar.
Design 3: Wire-guided ATGMs.
Revision 3: Fix ATGMs. If RNG favors us, and we don't have to, then we shrink/strengthen the smaller radar.
Design 4: Missile-size radar. If we already have this, then we make a missile guidance system and pop it in an ATGM.
Revision 4: If the missile-size radar fails for any reason, this is the backup revision. If something goes extraordinarily right and we have properly functioning radar-guided ATGMs, then we fit radars into the Thunderbirds.
Basically, we stick to this plan for 4 turns (Including this one!), and we have guided munitions. We will basically be unbeatable until Cannala catches up.