Merchant ship armament

[Telemon]

Greetings all,

I'm playing my second patrol with all but the event camera selected, though that's not relevant to my question. I'd sighted two ships at 15,000 plus, a large freighter and something smaller. I started off on a course to intercept but at c6000mtrs the freighter opened fire, not from the poop deck where I might have expected the gun to be but from somewhere 'midships. OK I up my speed to 17kts and open the range still trying to get ahead to a firing position.

Now here's the thing that I question. I am out at 13,600 mtrs and am still under accurate fire from the freighter, bracketed and getting wet. I thought I might have stumbled upon a Q ship but that being so would there not have been more than one gun a side?

If what I have read about armed merchants is accurate they were generally armed with 3 or 4 inch guns, without remote rangefinders and crewed by army personel (usually on the poop deck). I am therefore somewhat sceptical about their abillity to fire accurately at 13,000 plus mtrs.

Has any one got any data to clarify please.

[VONHARRIS]

Greetings all,

I'm playing my second patrol with all but the event camera selected, though that's not relevant to my question. I'd sighted two ships at 15,000 plus, a large freighter and something smaller. I started off on a course to intercept but at c6000mtrs the freighter opened fire, not from the poop deck where I might have expected the gun to be but from somewhere 'midships. OK I up my speed to 17kts and open the range still trying to get ahead to a firing position.

Now here's the thing that I question. I am out at 13,600 mtrs and am still under accurate fire from the freighter, bracketed and getting wet. I thought I might have stumbled upon a Q ship but that being so would there not have been more than one gun a side?

If what I have read about armed merchants is accurate they were generally armed with 3 or 4 inch guns, without remote rangefinders and crewed by army personel (usually on the poop deck). I am therefore somewhat sceptical about their abillity to fire accurately at 13,000 plus mtrs.

Has any one got any data to clarify please.

You have run into a Large Merchant in early 1941. At that stage these ships are armed with two 4 in guns midships on both sides of their funnel.
On the other hand their aiming shouldn'tbe accurate.
May be on that ship the guns weremanned by Naval personnel and not merchantmen.!

Gute Jagd Herr Kaleun

[Red Heat]

I think you are right VONHARRIS...

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

[U-SERB]

Also, if is a nice day and calm sea, you are pretty much visible to the crew of any ships...

They don't need range finder, its enough simple binocular to see you and to fire in your direction.

But, they should not have accurate fire!

[Sailor Steve]

No, they should not. Prior to the advent of fire control 2000 yards was considered long range. You're right, they have no rangefinders or any other means of fire control. Even a destroyer with a dedicated fire control system would have trouble hitting a submarine at that range.