Unflagged ships

[eBeaker]

Does anyone know what those red unflagged ships with the two beacons on top of their masts are about?

[VONHARRIS]

They are lightships. They can not be destroyed as they are classified as enviromental objects in the game. They are just eye-candy.

[Gargamel]

Actually, when I asked this question a few months ago (:D) I learned they are more than just eye candy. They actually mark shallows that would be very detrimental to sailing into. They (GWX team or devs, not sure who actually placed them) placed a small ship next to them so your lookouts would call them out and you can avoid them.

[Tessa]

Actually, when I asked this question a few months ago (:D) I learned they are more than just eye candy. They actually mark shallows that would be very detrimental to sailing into. They (GWX team or devs, not sure who actually placed them) placed a small ship next to them so your lookouts would call them out and you can avoid them.

I've always thought of them as seriously damaged ships waiting for tug boats (have seen them traveling to them previously) to come and pull them back into port. Are the just eye candy or do they send out a SSS call when you pass by one?

[Mittelwaechter]

Yesterday I visited Dover to check what's in there. It's May 1940 and I was creeping slowly closer when a flock of He 111 showed up and bombed the swimming dock and a few freighters in the harbour. I realized a wisp of smoke at my six and F12-ved over to a burning lightship that has been attacked by the He 111. Obviously the flyboys identify these lightships as valid targets.

http://www.abload.de/img/doverraid3bct.jpg

[Sailor Steve]

Yesterday I visited Dover to check what's in there. It's May 1940 and I was creeping slowly closer when a flock of He 111 showed up and bombed the swimming dock and a few freighters in the harbour. I realized a wisp of smoke at my six and F12-ved over to a burning lightship that has been attacked by the He 111. Obviously the flyboys identify these lightships as valid targets.
Probably not. Environmental Objects cannot be spotted by watch crews, so each lightship has a tugboat parked next to it so your crew can see them. That may be what the planes were aiming at.

@ Gargamel: It was the GWX team. They don't appear in the stock game.

[Tessa]

I've emptied my whole deck gun into one of those things before as a test and didn't even scratch it (literally, am using the torpedo damage mod). There's always some on the east coast of Ireland so am always hesitant that if they spot me some torpedo boats or a couple of DD's will appear out of nowhere to hunt me down.

You can also target icebergs, but those things are hard to sink. :haha:

[VONHARRIS]

I've emptied my whole deck gun into one of those things before as a test and didn't even scratch it (literally, am using the torpedo damage mod). There's always some on the east coast of Ireland so am always hesitant that if they spot me some torpedo boats or a couple of DD's will appear out of nowhere to hunt me down.

You can also target icebergs, but those things are hard to sink. :haha:

There is also an other one north of the Dutch coast , with a tugboat next to it. I have sailed next to them and nothing happened, but that was late 1939 early 1940.

I didn't know an iceberg can be sunk. Once out of curiosity I rammed one with an IXD2 , but curiosity killed the cat.

[Jimbuna]

Actually, when I asked this question a few months ago (:D) I learned they are more than just eye candy. They actually mark shallows that would be very detrimental to sailing into. They (GWX team or devs, not sure who actually placed them) placed a small ship next to them so your lookouts would call them out and you can avoid them.

Correct :yep:

[Mittelwaechter]

Well, the one lightship outside of Dover had no companion and was finally sunk by these He 111.

http://www.abload.de/img/doverlightship8gzw.jpg

I'll have to retry that, but I think it did not show up on my contact list. I'll try to 'ping' it visually next time I am around.

[Hanomag]

"Hey Teachers.. leave them lightships alonneee....." :rock: