The Invisible Enemy

**Franconicus** · 05-09-2011, 17:42

Your escort force currently consists of:

2 sloops Depthford and Stork
7 corvettes : Rhododendron, Marigold, Convolvulvus, Penstemon, Gardenia, Samphire and Vetch
1 escort carrier Audacity (Cdr MacKendrick)

In total 10 vessels.

A big storm front is coming from west to east; it already hit you, but the centre is still coming!

**King Kurt** · 05-10-2011, 12:35

The position of the escorts depends on where you percieve the threat is most likely to come from. I would have thought that is most likely to come from the front of the convoy, not the rear. U Boats are not fast boats, even on the surface, so they would want to position themselves in our path and attack accordingly. They would have to travel significantly faster than us to come up behind us. I placed the carrier between the front screen and the front of the convoy as that position, on my deployment of escorts, would be in the maximum level of escort. I had also missed the sloop Depthford from my calculations, so that could sail as close escort to the carrier.

Also we are trying to have a 2 layer approach so the U boats have to fight through two layers. The front group are several miles in front of the convoy so they can attack any subs detected. fischer - why do you think our threat is most likely to come from the rear?

As for the storm, I would be hesitant to turn to the west - our most recent detected threat was to the west and by turning to face the storm we will be slowed even more. My inclination is to press on to the North and only turn into the storm - ie to the west if the storm gets so fierce that we need to face it head on for seakeeping reasons - ie to stop waves hitting us side on.

**Fisherking** · 05-10-2011, 15:37

U-boats are faster than our corvettes.

They us their surface speed to position themselves for an optimum position for attack.

Directly a head is not that good of a position. It is better to be slightly to the flanks. Head on shots are very likely to miss.

However stalking and trailing the convoy is from the rear. That is where you will most likely see them surfaced. The rear flanks are also where it is easiest to get inside the convoy with a dash on the surface at night.

The Destroyers are considerably faster than the corvettes and the U-boats. Having them in the rear is the best place to reinforce on of the three groups, should they make contact with a U-boat.

Should the front group contact a sub we want to change direction for a time to avoid it anyway.

When and if we are reinforced by more escorts we will strengthen the front group first of all. But at the moment we have early enough to cover the convoy and the escort carrier is a big target. The rear is also the best location for command and control.

We can maintain this heading for a time and then try to shake them off in the storm but if the convoy is sighted the pack will spread out to form a cordon. Until we have clear weather and air cover things are going to stay a bit dicey.

**King Kurt** · 05-12-2011, 13:05

Our U boats are slighter faster than our corvettes - about a knot according to Wiki - but they are faster than our convoy. On those grounds, I am happy to change my thoughts to those of Fischer. I think we should concentrate on the rear of the convoy and the eastern flank as they are farthest from the storm - we should keep an all round watch, but maybe place any extra boats in those areas.

**Fisherking** · 05-12-2011, 18:36

When we get more boats we can think about that. For now we should have the teams of two front and flanks with the two destroyers and a corvette at the rear.

**Franconicus** · 05-16-2011, 13:35

Well, you do not have any destroyers:

Originally Posted by Franconicus

Your escort force currently consists of:

2 sloops Depthford and Stork
7 corvettes : Rhododendron, Marigold, Convolvulvus, Penstemon, Gardenia, Samphire and Vetch
1 escort carrier Audacity (Cdr MacKendrick)

In total 10 vessels.

A big storm front is coming from west to east; it already hit you, but the centre is still coming!

Could you please precise the position of your escort ships (front/rear, one ring/two rings ...) and their orders in case of an attack or any other event?

**Fisherking** · 05-16-2011, 18:44

I stand corrected then, two sloops in back. :P

**King Kurt** · 05-26-2011, 12:08

Hi guys - just to let you know I am off on my holidays again - back on the 6th of June - so no U Boat sinking until D Day!!

**Franconicus** · 05-28-2011, 16:17

Chapter 9 – until noon, 19 of December

At 15:00 Walker sends signals to rearrange the order of the escort ships. He is willing to keep to rings to protect the convoy, even though three destroyers left the group. There is no more ship left to give the Audacity an extra protection, but the two sloops will be at the rear of the convoy and therefore close to the carrier. Walker is already looking forward for the protests of Mac Kendrick.
The escort ships have just taken their new positions, when the storm front arrives. From one minute to another the sky is getting dark and it begins to rain cats and dogs. Walker has always been thinking that ‘cats and dogs’ was a silly picture for heavy rain, but this night he changes his mind. The droplets fall as if they had the size of cats and the strong western wind drives them, so that they hit almost horizontal. But not the rain is the worst thin, neither the wind nor the darkness. All over sudden, huge waves come from port and hit the side of the Stork.
The little sloop is thrown from one side to another like a little toy. Walker has to use all his skills to get the Stork through the raging seas. He has no time to watch for the rest of the convoy or the submarines.
At the break of day the storm is gone. The sea is calm and the wind is an easy breeze. It stopped raining and the dark sky brightens.
After a stormy night in a small vessel Walker and his men feel like dead fishes, but there is still no time to rest. First of all, Walker has to get an overview of the situation.
The vessels of the 36th Escort Group report of minor damages caused by the storm: radio installations of the Rhodedendron is defect; the Marigold has a blocked 4-inch gun, and Samphire tells that ten depth charges fell overboard. The Audacity is alright.
The situation of the freight ships is more confusing. The columns dissolved and the ships are spread over an area three times as big as the original order. The fright ships did not suffer any serious damages, although Lago lost her radio installations.
Four ships are missing, the Adjutant, the Fylingdale, the Rucking, the Fagersten and the Sheaf Crown.
Walker decides to send the planes of the Audacity to search for the missing ships. It is noon, the convoy is at CF9399, when the planes return. They found a group of four ships 20 nm southeast and another ship 25 nm south.

Until now, the German boats haven’t attacked. But the situation is dangerous. The convoy is stretched so far, that it is impossible to build a dense defense with his boats. And the ships that left the convoy are easy targets.

So what is to be done?

**Fisherking** · 05-28-2011, 17:36

I guess we will need to slow the convoy by a couple of knots and send a sloop to bring the sheep home.

The planes can spot any subs near the surface and help vector the lost ships home.

Meanwhile, it is not a total waste, the time can be used to regroup the main convoy, make repairs, and conduct a search of the area.

Let that be a lesson, also. Next time we turn to meet the storm.