Merchant ship armament

Telemon · 09-17-12, 07:27 AM

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.

09-17-12, 07:27 AM	#1
Telemon Helmsman Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 103 Downloads: 288 Uploads: 0	Merchant ship armament 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.