Unescorted convoys

[Foghladh_mhara]

During the early stages of the war due to a lack of escorts with the range for transatlantic crossings a lot of the slow convoys were only escorted a distance out from their departure port and received about the same distance from their inbound port. (I have read somewhere the lines of longitude upto which cover was provided but cant find it now:damn: ) This changed with the occupation of Iceland and the setting up of dedicated escort groups that took over the middle stretch of the journey.

Is this reflected in GWX and if so does anybody know beyond which points on the grid map beyond which convoys were on their own?

I'm still in Nov 1939 in my latest career and have been dreaming about what an enterprising Kaleun could do to a defenceless convoy that still hasn't been equipped with deck guns on the high seas :hmm: 14 eels and 220 rounds of deck gun ammo.

I'm coming over all faint :D

[3Jane]

In mid '40 I found a convoy of medium merchants and large tankers escorted by only a V+W at the front and a corvette at the rear, nothing on the sides at all. Haven't been that lucky since though.

[TarJak]

bigboywoolly is the person to ask about this. You could send a PM. Not sure if that's one of the "secrets" of GWX though so he might hint but not tell. I don't think it is possible to split a convoy or delete units from it in SHIII during it's passage though so if it starts with escorts it will have them the whole way because of the way units in a convoy are handled. BBW?

[Mush Martin]

Actually I beleive it has been done to a certain extent
but still easier to ask bbw than to go through all
the convoys in rnd layer.

MM

[Jimbuna]

It is reflected in the number and 'capability/status' of the escorts as the war progresses. Air cover is also representative of reality ie: combat radius :arrgh!:

[Foghladh_mhara]

Of course there is the small matter of actually finding a convoy in the middle of the wide North Atlantic but thats a mere technicality :D

Think I'll give my patrol area a miss on this cruise and follow the Pet Shop Boys advice. Go West the man said and so I shall. About 600 miles off the Irish coast for starters and then the waiting will begin

[bigboywooly]

Unfortunately its not possible for a rnd group to have the escorts leave after a certain point so any escorts are in from the stat till the end

Game engine limitation

Early war convoys do have less escorts though to make up for that
Not all early war convoys sailed without escorts in RL anyway - the bulk did

[Mush Martin]

I had thought that it had been done by spawning them in and out
at the MOE area sorry I was wrong again then.
MM

[bigboywooly]

No a ship is on from start till finish in the rnd

In the scr you can script ships leaving

In PQ17 the escorts are in 4 groups seperate to the merchants and they peel off and leave the convoy alone as happened

Not a simple job to do and unworkable to replace all the early war convoys in the rnd with individually scripted ones in the scr

The happy times mission is an example of a scripted convoy with a meeting point for escorts

[Foghladh_mhara]

I guess my search for the undefended convoy is in vain then :cry: Managed to find a convoy off the West of Ireland that was lightly escorted and sank the HMS Glasgow and 2 large merchants for 37000 tonnes. Coupled with the 14000 I got before reaching the convoy it wasnt a bad return on my quest though :rock:

[Zero Niner]

It's March 1940 in my current career, using a Type IXB.
So far all the convoys I've encountered have at least 3, more commonly 4, escorts. I wonder if this is par for the course? I've yet to encounter one with only one or two, or better still, zero escorts.

[Iron Budokan]

I've never come across an unescorted convoy, either. :cry:

[Keelbuster]

I came across an unescorted convoy in Stock SH3. Since NYGM and GWX, i don't think i've ever seen one. I've seen light escort coverage - like 2 or 3 - wiht these mods. But the only unescorted convoy was long ago...it was nice - so early in the war that they didn't have deck guns either:)

[Jimbuna]

The good old 'early days' eh ! :lol: :up: