Q Ship vs. U-Boat

Description

Product Info

Title : Q Ship vs. U-Boat
Publisher : Osprey
Product Line : Duel – Ships & Submarines

Category : Historical Books
Genre : Book – Reference – Military
Author : David Greentree
Publish Year : 2014
Pages : 80
Dimensions : 7.25×9.75x.25″
NKG Part # : 2147554785
MFG. Part # : OSPDUE057
Type : Softcover
Series : DUE57 Q ships came in all shapes and sizes – coastal steamer, trawler, barque, yacht or schooner – but all had to look harmless in order to lure their opponents to the surface and encourage them to attack. Armaments differed according to ship size; steamers commonly had 4in guns mounted amidships and in the bow, trawlers 3-pdrs and sailing ships 12-pdrs. Those who served on Q ships had to accept that their U-boat opponents would be able to strike first. Q ship captains kept ready a ‘panic crew’, which was trained to act out an elaborate evacuation to convince the U-boat commander that the ship was being abandoned by its crew. The Q ship captain would remain behind with a handful of other crewmen manning the guns, which remained hidden until the most opportune time to unmask and engage the U-boat. The Q ship concept had emerged early in the war when no other method seemed likely to counter the U-boat threat, and flourished until new technologies and tactics were developed, tested and implemented.