Fishing Boats

[mido]

Are you supposed to engage and sink these convoys of fishing boats which pop up every once in a while?

[Sailor Steve]

There is no "supposed to". You can if you like, but it's not required.

[IonicRipper]

I usually dont go for them but if one gets too close hes getting a taste of my 40mm AA gun :)

[Soviet Creeper]

I like to turn any sailing boats I see into a hood decoration :cool:

[CCIP]

Historically, US subs often did. They weren't exactly prime targets, but particularly late in the war when better targets were harder to come by, these were attacked. Since fishing = food for the enemy, many US skippers obviously considered these attacks worthwhile and justified.

[Kongo Otto]

Are you supposed to engage and sink these convoys of fishing boats which pop up every once in a while?

Yes i engage them everytime i am in Japanese Waters, they provide food to the enemy! The only fisherboats i dont destroy are those in Philippine waters.

[Vaux]

Yep. Good target practise for the deck gun!

[Vaux]

I like to turn any sailing boats I see into a hood decoration :cool:

Oooohhhh.... I might have to try this! Do you ever take any damage doing that?

[mido]

Yes i engage them everytime i am in Japanese Waters, they provide food to the enemy! The only fisherboats i dont destroy are those in Philippine waters.

How do you know which nationality they are? They usually don't show a flag.

[Sailor Steve]

How do you know which nationality they are? They usually don't show a flag.
There aren't going to be any British, French or Dutch fishing boats "in Japanese waters".

[razark]

How do you know which nationality they are?
By questioning the survivors. :D



As far as I can tell, in game there are only enemy fishing boats. In reality, some subs would stop and search small boats, but I don't know how often it happened.

[TorpX]

How do you know which nationality they are? They usually don't show a flag.

I just assume they are of the nationality of the nearest coastline. Sometimes this isn't clear though. There were Japanese, Korean, and Chinese boats plying the same areas. As far as the game is concerned, they are all the same, and will count as legit targets.

[HW3]

The Japanese navy also used some equipped with radios as spotters. They would put them out with the fishing fleets to try and hide them, figuring we would not attack fishermen.

[Kongo Otto]

Yes i engage them everytime i am in Japanese Waters, they provide food to the enemy! The only fisherboats i dont destroy are those in Philippine waters.

How do you know which nationality they are? They usually don't show a flag.

Well as Sailor Steve already said, there are no allied Fishing Boats in and around Japanese Waters. For the greater immersion i dont shoot at Sampans in Philippine Waters so i can say to myself "they are smuggling food and ammo for the Phillippino resistance" ;)
IIRC in the Game the Fishing Boats and the Sampans are always Japanese no matter where you find them.

[Hinrich Schwab]

The Japanese navy also used some equipped with radios as spotters. They would put them out with the fishing fleets to try and hide them, figuring we would not attack fishermen.

This is the exact same logic I use when I blast them with my deck gun. Guerre de Course includes all merchant vessels flying the enemy nation's flag, including "humble" fishing boats. :arrgh!:

[breadcatcher101]

You really should for reasons already mentioned. The Japanese took over the small boats and used them to supply. So in areas under the flag of the Japanese by all means, and yes this was done a lot in real life.

The trend kept on into the last years of the war where we would attack then friendly boats out of habit I suppose.

Christie put a stop to this pratice though, saying we are at war with the Japanese, not the natives. Boat in Japanese controlled waters were of course still fair game.

As to the game, I find it very interesting that many times after I am spotted by a "fishing boat" a plane will appear.

[WernherVonTrapp]

I ran into some around Guadalcanal during various phases of the war. I sank them all and got credit for enemy kills. On the other hand, I ran into a small fishing flotilla after refitting at Milne Bay, sank them all but got cited for sinking friendly vessels.http://i1045.photobucket.com/albums/b456/archangel501/Smileys/35d68d28.gif
As a general rule, if they're far enough away that I probably haven't been sighted, I veer away from them. If they are too close when they're first spotted by my crew, I obliterate them.
http://i1045.photobucket.com/albums/b456/archangel501/Smileys/66a8e324.gif I have spotted what seems to be a radio antenna atop some of the masts of Sampans and Fishing Boats.:stare:

[IonicRipper]

I find it very interesting that many times after I am spotted by a "fishing boat" a plane will appear.

And that is the reason why i blow em out of the water when they spot me :salute:

[Soviet Creeper]

Oooohhhh.... I might have to try this! Do you ever take any damage doing that?

Ive never tried it in a 18 / 42 class, but in normal boats it shalnt harm you

[mobucks]

Ramming them is a lot of fun.

[mido]

Ok guys, got the message!
From now on no more fishing in Japanese waters.

[Loudspeaker]

I never shoot them. I don't like to reveal my presence anywhere, unless it's absolutely necessary. Killing a few, hard working family fathers does not justify me to risk the lives of my crew :|\\

Pick one juicy target and sink it fast, then get the hell out of the area. That's my style. You can call me a coward, if you like, but that doesn't change the fact that my name is on the top of blackboard :salute:

[Armistead]

Shoot them at least once before ramming, that way you get credit for sinking. Maybe mods differ, but if I ram and sink it I don't get credit, but just a few damage points before rammin, I do.

Saves ammo.

[Sirkam]

I usually dont engage them but (i imagine that are fishers... simply fishers. But of course, in the real war some of them were equipped with hydrophones, radios, ASDIC and a few depth chardges), if any of then spot me... there's nothing i can do but engage then with AA guns or a few cannon rounds :arrgh!:.