Q Ships

[Captain Nemo]

I recently installed Jimbuna's Q-Ship mod on my GWX 3 installation. This is a great mod and I have already sunk one in game and been attacked by one.:up: My question is, did Q-Ships appear in convoys in real life? I have come across a couple of convoys recently that had two or three Q-Ships (small coastal freighters) in them. This obviously gives the convoy better overall protection from a night surface attack but out of interest does anyone know if the RN used them in this way.

Nemo

[Wulfmann]

This was tried in WWI by the Brits but once discovered they paid little dividends and the idea was scrapped.

The US tried it in 1942 (See Operation Drumbeat book) but the Q-ship was easily sunk and the US gave up as well converting the others back to original merchant types.

Most people think Q-ships were German as in their armed merchant raiders but the use of Q-ships against any nation's submarines was not worth the expense, training of crew or end results.

The German armed merchant ships were very successful in the far away areas away from heavier naval concentrations

Wulfmann

[RConch]

Convoys moved mixed ships that were armed or not armed.
Speed determined whether you qualified for a convoy, except for troopship convoys. Too slow or too fast could send you on your own.

[Jimbuna]

Q ships would occasionally be part of a convoy but in the main (and because they were so few in number) they sailed alone.

The frequency of them appearing in the convoys is purely down to the ato generator of ship classes by the game engine and the fact that there is a game limit imposed on how many ship classes the game allows you.

[Captain Nemo]

Thanks for all the info:up:.

Nemo

[Jimbuna]

Your welcome http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/thumbsup.gif