Seas of Thunder - GMT Games thoughts after several plays

About Seas of Thunder: Global Naval Warfare, 1939-45, from BoardGameGeek:

World War 2 was the largest and most violent extended naval war in history. From September 1939 until the surrender of Japan, the high seas were a global battle zone filled with mighty battleships, nimble cruisers, silent hunters, and flat-tops bristling with planes. Before our eyes, we witnessed the changing of warfare on the high seas as the thunderous old guard fell to air power and submarine Raiders prowled the open waters and the carrier showed its true diversity and adaptability. Seas of Thunder not only allows players to re-create the Atlantic or Pacific theaters of the war but to see how challenging the entire picture was for their leaders. How do you protect a globe from German raiders? How desperate was it for Britain when France fell and they were left to fight Germany and Italy alone on the high seas? What is the right balance for the Soviet fleet split between four distinct fronts (Baltic, Black Sea, Arctic, and Pacific)? If the Mediterranean force weakens for the allies, from where do they draw ships? Does Japan strike quickly or play for attrition when they arrive on the halfway point? Will America fight in two fronts, three, or four? In Seas of Thunder, players will experience the tension of too much sea to cover with too few ships, the frustration of being caught unprepared, or the intensity of a vital stand contesting a high-value sea area. Victory is neither sudden nor guaranteed. In each battle, a flight of Catalinas, the lack of ASW, the improper distribution of air power, or even a missing minesweeper could be the difference between success or failure. What's in the Box Seas of Thunder may not have every ship in the conflict, but it has the ones you know. 1 Mounted Map (Double-Sided with pre-Pearl Harbor scoring on one side and post-Pearl Harbor scoring on the other) 1200+ Combat Ship counters (Capital ships down to Destroyer Squadrons, Submarine Grops, and Mine-sweeping Flotillas) 132 Convoy & Utility counters 14 Port Cards (1 per side for each of 7 scenarios) Combat Sequence Cards for tracking combat Plus sundry dice, rules, scenario details...the usual. Seas of Thunder is every bit a full-force strategic-level representation of the conflict on the high seas during World War 2. Players have to manage a global disposition of their warships with frequently too much ocean to cover and not nearly enough ships to cover it. Each nation has access to the historical ships that sailed in the conflict. Each country's fleets have advantages and disadvantages that are unique to them. -description from the publisher