That was fairly depressing. Poignant, but maybe overly packed with direct analogy and symbolism.
Very interesting and fits into a concept I've thought over time and time again where women, rather the generalized female, has been historically used to name the tools, conquests, pleasures and horrors of men from the general male perspective.
That's not all the story is of course, I found the element above in the text at the end, "My father told me a long time ago: Boats are women and women are the sea. All living creatures were born from it, a living soup, of blood, tears, and souls."
After reading the authors comments on Yuri-ism, the story is more about these naive young girls being thrown into complex world. A world that has pre-defined them.
Honestly, the first thought I had was of Kancolle where the ultimate tragic and depressive reality of the show hasn't been hidden behind moe and sex appeal.
I agree with your sentiments heartily, but don't forget the parallels of the standard child soldier. As for the foisting of emotional baggage onto female implements, much of that historically was simply due to the lack of presence on the battlefield or at sea for ling periods of time. That this defined(s) womanhood for many is a side effect of culture and that will take a long time to change for the better, however you define "better".
The art style of this very successfully doesn't hide the harshness of the setting, something that will make it difficult to digest and the writing style is hard for some to follow, as evidenced by quite a few comments.
