[Dingocat85]

Originally posted by Gwaihir:
Er, a space yard is a tad costly and large if you only use the repair capability . . . mightn't you want to use repair bays? (Which are stackable, too)

If you only use the repair capability, yeah...but Space Yards can also Analyze captured ships, and they can retrofit other ships, including themself...which means you could actually update your fleet with new technology you just discovered, without having to retreat back to a Planetary Space Yard
Example:
Your fleet is packed with 'Wave-Motion Gun I' weaponry, and you capture a ship with Wave-Motion II technology. You could Analyze it, update your Wave-Motion I weapons, and repair the updated components - all from the Ship's Space Yard