Others have said it, but basically it's the current meta more than the ships. With all the CV spam, radar and hybrids with fast torps (hello pan euro), it's a tough undertaking to do well.
Having said that, they are good to build your skills, if you can do well in these two boats you can do well in anything. Bear in mind also that the torps hit hard, and with reload you can put a lot in the water. torp reload is also the ultimate challenge with no smoke!
The guns might lack dpm, but they do pack a whack, so don't ignore them.