Thanks Shipmates
I've wondered about the 'dimpling' often seen in photographs; and I had guessed it was down to modern design, but you've explained why exactly; and I must say its one of the (many) aspects of modern warships that I find unnatractive.
Well it's not a design feature, just a consequence of the ship's construction - really, using the ship's construction itself as a form of armor (by being damage-resistant, which is the whole point). They could just use a thicker gauge steel, but not only would that be less economical but would be less damage-resistant too.
And yes, some WWII vessels, like destroyers and DEs, show hungry horsing too.