I think it's worth noting that the Ships section of the Forum is not only alive and well but thriving. It's been covering a wide range of subjects lately, and several newcomers are giving it a broadly international flavor. It's not unusual to read posts from Spain, Germany, Russia, Britain, Australia, and the U.S. in the same thread. Seems like there's at least one new post every time I check.
To be honest, I think some people are over-reacting to the last format change. I certainly miss some of the old features, but the FSM Forum continues to be a huge asset to the hobby.