Another convoy quiz question
 

Seth won the first convoy quiz question d'jour... so here is another:

"British Royal Navy introduces a newly created convoy system, whereby all merchant ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean would travel in groups..."

The Royal Navy has claim of the historic implementation of convoyed ships as the new way to cross "the pond" in wartime.
Do you know what the official date was that this convoy tactic was initially deployed? And why? :hmm:

Well if I recall, the first time it was used was in WW1 about 1917 to reduce the losses by the German U boats. This was shortly before America entered the war. I can't remember the exact date. You mean WW2 anyway. Not too sure on that one.

Breadcatcher101, you are on your way to the correct historic date... and it was first announced in WW1. Convoy shipping was once again, adapted right away, and as best as they could, by the Royal Navy in WW2.

As to what I read (had to look it up) the first was on Sept. 7th, 1917. Used to protect trans-Atlantic shipping from the U boat threats.

IIRC, the Royal Navy adopted convoy tactics in late May 1917 after a few trial convoys were used successfully in the Atlantic

But convoys were used way before that, for instance all three Battles of Ushant (incl. the so-called Glorious First of June) were fought over cross-ocean convoys

EDIT: Or maybe it was just the 2nd and 3rd Battles of Ushant, can't remember...

Well, you're trying to be slick by refering to WWI convoys, but the earliest British convoys were organized during the Anglo-Dutch wars during the 1600s. The warship-escorted merchant convoy was the staple of shipping all during the sailing-ship era.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convoy

Nothing "slick" about it. As this is mainly a subsim site I assumed the convoy he is asking about pertained to anti-submarine/Uboat threats. I futher assumed since the site pertains mostly to WW2 that his question was in regards to that time period. I simply stated that the convoy system was used first in WW1. I even knew the year without having to look it up. The exact date I did in fact have to do a search which in fact I noted I did so.

As for the convoy system first being used in the 1600's, could be, I don't think U boats were much of a threat at that time however.

I wouldn't bet on it, several people were working on submarines 17th & 18th centuries.

Anyway, convoys were certainly used all through the napoleonic wars.

HX 1, Sept 16th 39, as a result of the sinking of the Athenia http://www.psionguild.org/forums/ima...ies/pirate.gif

"On this day in 1917 (May 24, 1917), driven by the spectacular success of the German U-boat submarines and their attacks on Allied and neutral ships at sea, the British Royal Navy introduces a newly created convoy system, whereby all merchant ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean would travel in groups under the protection of the British navy." ... History.com

Everyone gets the gold on this. :know: What a varied discussion of history we have started. I would agree that the History.com listing is just tagged to the modern Axis/Allied modern historic cause from the effects of merchant shippng losses. Once enough losses occured in any event at sea, I'm sure armed guards on board as well as escort ships were instictfully employed to get the goods transferred port-to-port. I just remember reading a while ago that there was an initial resistance to provide escorts for merchants during the early stages of WW2 by the Royal Navy, as well as the "Big One" before that.

Good hunting to all!

This is what makes the Subsim forums here the best anywhere. Just when you get a thought around a historic moment, tactical issue or simulated potential to bring up to discuss, we all get so much more. I wil need to look into the Battles of Ushant, etc. Either way the events occured, it makes it all even a further interesting thing to consider when we pop up our scopes on our next patrol.

Very true, but he didn't mention u-boats in the initial post. On the other hand, he did mention 'crossing the pond', so while the Spanish convoyed their treasure fleets in the 1500s as a result of Francis Drake's attacks, I'm sure they didn't call them by that name.

And I knew he was talking about the World Wars (probably WW1), but I couldn't resist being a jerk and showing off. Sorry.:)

That was the first transatlantic convoy (again, 'crossing the pond'), so you're right; but the first WW2 convoy was AB1, from Freetown to Gibralter, which set out on September 2, the day before the declaration of war and the sinking of Athenia.

Oh, and I completely forgot my favorite sailing convoy story:

USS Experiment was a sister ship of the third USS Enterprise, a schooner built in 1799. She was escorting four merchantmen in the caribbean when they were attacked by pirates in small boats.
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclop...periment-(1799)

What the story doesn't say is that it was dead calm, and Experiment fought the pirates by rowing after them. Small warships in that day also carried oars for just that purpose.

Very early convoy shots http://www.psionguild.org/forums/ima...es/whistle.gif

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/7...inganimps8.gif http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/7...inganimps8.gif
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/7...inganimps8.gif http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/7...inganimps8.gif

:rotfl:

Bail! Bail as if your lives depended on it!

Oh, yeah, they do.