Quote:
Originally Posted by Rambler241
Incidentally, several posters here appear to treat small targets like trawlers with disdain. Surely takin' 'em out is all part of the war effort - disrupting and demoralising the enemy?
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That was what I used to do all the time. Then I read the Prize Regulations that regulated naval warfare. Here's what it says about that in the Hague Conventions:
Laws of War :
Restrictions With Regard to the Exercise of the Right of Capture in Naval War (Hague XI); October 18, 1907
Art. 3.
Vessels used exclusively for fishing along the coast or small boats employed in local trade are exempt from capture, as well as their appliances, rigging, tackle, and cargo. They cease to be exempt as soon as they take any part whatever in hostilities.
The Contracting Powers agree not to take advantage of the harmless character of the said vessels in order to use them for military purposes while preserving their peaceful appearance.
Art. 4.
Vessels charged with religious, scientific, or philanthropic missions are likewise exempt from capture.
You're right about disrupting and demoralising, but on the other hand shooting at trawlers and sail ships might also be a war crime, which part is not simulated by the AI. I've decided to follow the Hague Conventions and Prize Regulations, as I like to play the game as kind of historical role play, as well as a naval war simulator.