POW

[PaulH513]

An unfortunate incident that happen today has me wondering to what extent were POW ships used during the war and if they were marked clearly as such on the side of the ships and if so were there lights on the lettering at night time.

I have not seen any POW ships modeled in either SH3 or SH4, but than again I have not played all the super mods that are out there. It could be something a dev team member might consider doing if it is not already around somewhere. I just think it would raise the level of excitement if you know that somewhere in a convoy is a POW ship and not to send it to the bottom.

What made me think of this was how two players were texting in a game and one asked the other to join him on his teamspeak to get some info and was immediately kicked and had his IP banned by one their Server Admins who did not even have the common courtesy to talk to him......:arrgh!:

How sad....so very sad

[irish1958]

I saw a POW ship in the Black Sea; I am not sure of the year, but I think it was 1943

[Rebel]

that was me he put out of team speak

[dogboat]

:damn::|\\

[Torplexed]

An unfortunate incident that happen today has me wondering to what extent were POW ships used during the war and if they were marked clearly as such on the side of the ships and if so were there lights on the lettering at night time.


POW ships apparently weren't marked as such. Otherwise the infamous "Laconia Incident" would have never taken place where a British ship carrying 1,800 Italian prisoners of war was torpedoed by the U-156.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laconia_incident

American subs also tragically and unknowingly sank Japanese ships bearing Allied POWs to Japan.

[PaulH513]

I see from your link that this happened in Sept. '42, so maybe this prompted the lettering to be placed on ships afterwards?

[Torplexed]

I see from your link that this happened in Sept. '42, so maybe this prompted the lettering to be placed on ships afterwards?

I must confess I've never heard of the practice of painting POW in big letters on a ship carrying such. German prisoners were sometimes placed aboard hospital ships bearing wounded US soldiers home from Europe. However, they were placed on returning attack transports and passenger ships as well. As far as I know Japanese ships were never marked either. Japan was short on decent transport and whether their POW passengers died en route or in the labor camp was immaterial to them.

Frankly, I would think painting POW! on the side of a ship is tempting fate. ;)

[Jimbuna]

Another Laconia link:

http://wernerhartenstein.tripod.com/U156ClayBlair.htm