R/C Naval Combat

Can we build and use Q boats im a big WW2 buff and i know that german uboat supply ships where armed with hidden guns to beable to defend and to attack convoy ships as raiders i have many ideas

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Originally posted by Sneakshot

Can we build and use Q boats im a big WW2 buff and i know that german uboat supply ships where armed with hidden guns to beable to defend and to attack convoy ships as raiders i have many ideas

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Depends on the club. Some allow them, some don't.

If you do get to use one, though, just remember that the trick will only work once!

JM

lol true there but if the guns are Fixed to a low postion it can be very deadly to ships of war trying to attack

I wish i could find a club that would allow ships that were planned to be laid down but were later used as carriers

Wanting that Lexington BC, Amagi BC, or Kaga BB? I think the big gun clubs allow them to be built, as does the Washington Treaty club.

Mike D

im talking about the montana class

Ah, the prickly issue of hypothetical warships....I'm leaving this one alone.

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Originally posted by Darren Scott

Ah, the prickly issue of hypothetical warships....I'm leaving this one alone.

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You've got to draw the line somewhere, & "laid down" is a pretty easy line to draw. It's a big event in the life of a ship, well documented, photographed, with dignitaries in attendance. From a club administration standpoint, you set up for a big mess if you dohn't have clear dates documented. Of the 4 most major milestone events - laid down, launched, commissioned, & paid off/sunk/decommissioned - it gives builders the most leeway to build things that might not have ever actually gotten into combat.

Did they really mean to build ______? Well, if the Senator's daughter smiled for the cameras & placed that 1st rivet, then I guess they really were serious. If not, it's just wishful thinking.

If any club that I belong to allows "hypotheticals", I'll demand my right to build a Tillman battleship under that ruling.

JM

The Montanas were not made into carriers.

Mike D

What's a "Q" boat?

Well a Q boat is a attack vessel disguesd as a civilian vessel used to attack german U boats.
OR
an Q boat is a power boat used by James bond in the movie the world is not enough.

a "Q-ship" is a civilian ship that was modified to carry heavy guns behind hidden panels. Their purpose was to defend convoys against U-boat attack, as most u-boats would surface and use their deck gun against unescorted merchant ships. The Q-ships had a "dummy crew" that would "abandon ship" when the u-boat surfaced, rowing away from their ship to "escape". The sub would close in for the kill, and the Q-ship would drop it's panels and blast the submarine with it's guns.

The reason that these are a no-go in the warship hobby is that they aren't nearly a match for a full-on warship. No armor, no internal compartmentation (to military standards), and a tiny tiny civilian bilge pump. Against a real warship, their lifetime would be measured in seconds. Also, most rules require ships to be used in an as-built configuration, which would make the mightiest Q-ship a freighter :)

Q-ships and Raiders are very interesting ships in Big Gun combat. You can run them as either warships (in their Q-ship or Raider gun configuration) or as merchants (unarmed). The benefit comes when your opponent doesn't know which you are running as. Quite a few German Raiders carried torpedoes, as did some of the Q-ships, and these pack an awesome punch against capital ships. If an enemy were to pull alongside, thinking you were a transport when you're really a warship, you could give them quite a wallop. Then later, you could run unarmed to score cargo points, and enemy ships will think twice before attacking you, because they don't know if its safe to approach. My club had a discussion about Raiders and Q-ships, and the general consensus was that you have to tell the Combat Director whether your Raider is running as a warship or convoy boat before the battle, but you didn't have to tell anyone else. That way nobody can launch as a merchant, then "change his mind" if an enemy comes close.

To date, however, nobody has

Every time I've heard a Q ship discussed, the conclusion is similar to what Carl said. I think they are neat dimension to the game, but I will stick to battleships.

MBG allows some hypotheticals, I think Montana is one on their list. Don't know where you are located, but you could fight with them if you want montana. Personally, I'd rather an Iowa than a montana... The advancements on the Montana aren't worth the loss of ruleset compatibility, loss of Iowa's speed, increased weight (Iowa is HEAVY), increased bulk, loss of (what's left of) manuverabiliy... The list goes on and on.

The problem with hyps is exactly what John said, I've seen it happen in the MBG... Ships are built to the specs "that are available" & are fudged elsewhere (usually in the favor of the hyp boat). However, I'm not sure I could care any less... I'd fight an Ticonderoga class if it was on the water.

A "Q" ship does sound interesting.
But taking a step back.....
Lets see now, I shall work from our BIG GUN rules.
Big guns allows every gun that wasa on the actula ship to be armed.
But pump and armor also depends on what the actual ship had as well.
It will have the pump and armor of a civilian transport!
It would be firing BB's where a warship (Battleship) on the water will be firing 1/4 ball bearings!
I think I would rather have a Battleship.
In BIG GUNS the size of the projectile depends on the caliber of the actual ship guns as well.
There is also a difference in the rate of fire.
(I have been told that in BIG GUNS firing bb's has never sunk a ship!)

I have an armed Liberty ship on have and it has been a challenge to arm just one cannon!
I have already heard some complaints that my cannon is too high.
Just could not mount it any lower.
With the batteries, servos, and reciever inside the hull, there was very little room or displacement availble for the cannon, regulator and CO2 tank.
As it is with everything above in the hull, I did not need to add any ballast!
SO even though the actual ship has a second cannon on the bow, I do not have the displacement to arm it.
Thus I do not think it would be an easy task to fully arm a "Q Ship".

I have a book title "hitlers secret pirate fleet" its about these "Q" boats that went out LOOKING for allied convoys. They even disguised them selves as neutral nations ships in order to get closer. So they did go after merchant shipping.

Also if you wanted to really go old skool the germans had an old sailing ship that was converted to a "Q" ship. sail it with the convoy (it wont be fast enough to chase down warships) and give cruisers a nasty sting when they pull up allong side a nice halpless convoy ship!! (evil grin) HEHEHEHEHEheheheheheheheh

Q ships should be neutral at the beginng of combat. They are on no ones side until they open fire. They could be be fighting against everyone if they wanted to. Yoho Yoho a Pirates life for me.

Q-ships have proved effective against warships on at least one occasion. DKM Kormoran vs HMAS Sydney. Both ships were lost, but the loss of the warship was a shock to the RAN that still reverberates. The wrecks were only recently discovered. The Sydney has her bows gone, and the Kormoran's cargo of mines basically blew her to bits when they were detonated by the fires onboard.

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Originally posted by Darren Scott

Q-ships have proved effective against warships on at least one occasion. DKM Kormoran vs HMAS Sydney. Both ships were lost, but the loss of the warship was a shock to the RAN that still reverberates. The wrecks were only recently discovered. The Sydney has her bows gone, and the Kormoran's cargo of mines basically blew her to bits when they were detonated by the fires onboard.

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How do you let them in this game?

As auxiliary cruisers, they get less firepower than you might think. Most commerce raiders were blown to atoms when confronted by a real warship, the Kormoran being a notable exception.