GWX2 Convoy Straglers?
 

Early 1942 - GWX2.

I just finished hitting a convoy for the second time; maybe about 4 hours ago.

I got two merchant contacts on exactly the same course as the prior large convoy about 8km apart and 30km or so trailing the convoy. I've checked them out externally and they weren't damaged from earlier torpedo shots. However, from their behavior they appear to belong to the convoy which just passed.

They must be stragglers. Some questions:

(1) It's been 15m/sec seas for days. Are these ships straggling simply because of the heavy seas?

(2) Are these ships straggling due to the prior attack that they got displaced from the formation during the attack and just simply cannot catch up?

(3) Or are stragglers statistically programmed into SH3 or GWX2 as part of the game?

These are the first non-wounded stragglers I have seen trailing a convoy in the game.

Thanks.

PS: These are going to be some really easy kills. If stragglers results from attacks, then this opens the door to a new tactic which may simply be to not necessarily shoot under extreme pressure when attacking a convoy. Instead shoot the stern tube and wound something. And otherwise cause the convoy to scatter and creating stragglers for easy pickings later.

the ships could be straggling from a previous attack or having trouble with heavy seas. It is fairly frequent to run into stragglers. Good hunting! :up:

Usually they are tramp steamers having trouble with the seas. You can often hear "breaking-up" sounds coming from them.

1 this is the most likely scenario, yes :up:

2 No, because, unless they lose a lot of distance and lose the convoy completely, they will catch up (eventually) by going max speed. what coulkd happen is that the convoys base speed is already near or on that particular ships max speed (tramp steamers are a good example) so they can't catch up but will follow the convoys waypoints

3 not that I'm aware of

The convoy's base speed was 8kts. Does that put some merchants at risk of not being able to keep up?

Thanks.

The heavy seas are the cause of the straggling tramp steamers. If you watch them long enough, they will sink due to flooding.

"straggling"

never heard of this word... do you mean "struggling"?

Straggler= one who falls behind, can't catch up. Straggling= (if it's the proper spelling) in the act of falling behind.

http://www.ask.com/reference/diction...3074/straggler

May be a word that is used somewhat exclusively in the states?

Ah, so it probably is possible to break up a convoy. Sounds like it's gonna be easier to pick off those ships now!

Hmmm, this is interesting. I've not come across and stragglers yet, perhaps after attacking a convoy for the second time it would be mandatory to go where they've just come from to see if there are any stragglers :hmm:

at 8 knots they should be able to keep up, unless damaged in some way (storm, mishap or enemy action)

As far as I'm aware, straggler was a common term used in RL WWII convoys. Sometimes, escorts were sent to chase them up, but if they couldn't catch up, they were on their own!

I'll translate into Aussie English...
...means too bloody slow. Crocodile food.:rotfl:

they were the ones who had engine problems or something to that degree. The Convoy/ escorts stop for nothing. So if you had a problem, you're on your own.:dead:
:gulp: