A small Q regarding RL WW2 convoy actions if you please...

[Radio]

Originally Posted by Dread Knot

I've never heard of German subs taking prizes. Maybe going onboard to search for the ship's papers, but that's it. By the period of the war msalma is talking about towing a hulk back to France would be a suicide mission.

In the book "Jäger und Gejagte" (Hunter and Hunted) there was a RL story of a german boat that picked up crates from a sunken ship, only to discover to their huge dissapointment that there were clothes in it. And they picked up sacks of flour, the flour had a thin skin of saltwater/flour-stuff under which the flour was perfectly good.

They did not dare to repeat those manoeuvers because of the risk of airplanes.

Yarr!

[jrkepler]

I'm not exactly sure of their motivation or reasoning, but knowing what I know, if I found a disabled ship, empty or full I know exactly what I'd do. Drain every last drop of diesel off of her. That I would risk life, crew and boat for. The type XIV boats are cursed, its like the allies know their every move and are just waiting for us to link up.

[psykopatsak]

problem is that many cargo freighters ran on steam. not much diesel abord then...

[Torplexed]

Originally Posted by jrkepler

I'm not exactly sure of their motivation or reasoning, but knowing what I know, if I found a disabled ship, empty or full I know exactly what I'd do. Drain every last drop of diesel off of her. That I would risk life, crew and boat for. The type XIV boats are cursed, its like the allies know their every move and are just waiting for us to link up.

Unless you had the incredible luck to come across an unburnt-out tanker porting diesel oil you won't find much. Most WW2 merchant vessel powerplants ran on coal or heavy fuel oil, because they were cheap.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Torplexed

Unless you had the incredible luck to come across an unburnt-out tanker porting diesel oil you won't find much. Most WW2 merchant vessel powerplants ran on coal or heavy fuel oil, because they were cheap.

Precisely....and before the heavy oil was of use it first had to be run through the purifiers...not many subs would have the capability.

They were sunk primarily because they present a hazard to navigation.

[Oneshot/Onekill]

There were instance's of the PRIZE regulations being enforced in WWI, more so than in WWII. In those case's that I remember reading about, the U-boat would stop and search a vessel. If war materials were found on board, the U-boat depending on its location could call for a tug, or a vessel to tow the merchant to a German port for capture. The second option, which of course was far less harzardous to the Gremans was to evacuate the crew, and sink the ship.

The influence of the Kaluen's desicion, had alot to do with what kind of cargo he came across.

In WWII, with the advance's of aircraft, and radar, technology dictated that it was easier and far less risky just to simply sink the ship.