David Ellis   
      
   "the ship is designed with thick armoring over only a very small number of   
   mission critical systems"   
      
   Even so, the ship would need, at the very least, some sort of external hull to   
   stop micrometeorite impacts and provide some radiation protection for   
   sensitive equipment, not to mention a reflective surface to limit solar   
   heating. The structural supports    
   for the external hull would be plenty strong enough to hold the pressure hull   
   together.   
      
   "a greater thickness of metal"   
      
   The pressure hull wouldn't be made of metal, just fabric with metallic struts   
   for strengthening. Less like a submarine pressure hull, more similar to an   
   inflatable space habitat, like the one currently attached to the ISS.   
      
   "if weapons fire damages a portion of the ship that would normally be   
   pressurized"   
      
   If enemy fire breaks into the armored citadel and vents it, the ship is   
   probably already lost. Outside the citadel, repairs would be performed only   
   after the battle (by definition, nothing outside the citadel is    
   ombat-critical) and there would be enough    
   time to seal the leaks, repressurize and then start actual repairs.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)