Roland Peacetime duties

kzt wrote:You don't run convoys in peacetime. Convoys are a wartime measure to economize on escorts and minimize losses of merchants. They are horribly expensive to run, for both the merchants and the escorts.

Weird Harold wrote:I guess all those Manticoran ships running around silesia in company with a bunch of freighters prewar and interwar were just leisurely cruising for fun then.

Weird Harold wrote:

kzt wrote:You don't run convoys in peacetime. Convoys are a wartime measure to economize on escorts and minimize losses of merchants. They are horribly expensive to run, for both the merchants and the escorts.

I guess all those Manticoran ships running around silesia in company with a bunch of freighters prewar and interwar were just leisurely cruising for fun then.

Jonathan_S wrote: quote="Weird Harold" quote="Jonathan_S" It's not right to provide convoy escorts that are basically required to adopt a routine take no prisoners policy simply because they're insufficiently equipped to deal with them. That's a foreseeable issue that you failed to provide for. /quote

You haven't read the whole thread -- a division (4) of Rolands and a Kammerling or JNTS Freighter configured for a Marine contingent in the convoy would provide more than enough space and personnel for prize crews and/or brig cells has been suggested.

The Kammerling class has "limited ship-to-ship offensive capability" but even a Kammerling's limited offensive capability would be enough for most pirates -- but there aren't a lot of Kammerlings in service or planned.

Of course, the marines and extra naval types needed could ride any freighter in the convoy, but that would cause problems with bringing them home again.

Roland's also have the extra space of a Flag Deck which would go unused in seven-eighths of Rolands -- or thereabouts. There have been numerous discussions of whether and how that space could be adapted for a Marine contingent. /quote

Actually I have read the whole thread, and I've no problem teaming Rolands up with other ships to provide the boarding action. My earlier suggestion was mixing them with Avalons or Wolfhounds; but if you've got Kammerlings available that's certainly as many Marines as you'd ever need

But Keith_w's suggestion appeared to be different; that you wouldn't need to support Rolands with other ships because Rolands would leave no survivors. It was that specific thought I was responding to here.

Keith_w wrote:

Jonathan_S wrote: quote="Weird Harold" quote="Jonathan_S" It's not right to provide convoy escorts that are basically required to adopt a routine take no prisoners policy simply because they're insufficiently equipped to deal with them. That's a foreseeable issue that you failed to provide for. /quote

You haven't read the whole thread -- a division (4) of Rolands and a Kammerling or JNTS Freighter configured for a Marine contingent in the convoy would provide more than enough space and personnel for prize crews and/or brig cells has been suggested.

The Kammerling class has "limited ship-to-ship offensive capability" but even a Kammerling's limited offensive capability would be enough for most pirates -- but there aren't a lot of Kammerlings in service or planned.

Of course, the marines and extra naval types needed could ride any freighter in the convoy, but that would cause problems with bringing them home again.

Roland's also have the extra space of a Flag Deck which would go unused in seven-eighths of Rolands -- or thereabouts. There have been numerous discussions of whether and how that space could be adapted for a Marine contingent. /quote

Actually I have read the whole thread, and I've no problem teaming Rolands up with other ships to provide the boarding action. My earlier suggestion was mixing them with Avalons or Wolfhounds; but if you've got Kammerlings available that's certainly as many Marines as you'd ever need

But Keith_w's suggestion appeared to be different; that you wouldn't need to support Rolands with other ships because Rolands would leave no survivors. It was that specific thought I was responding to here.

That was precisely my suggestion. If a pirate attacks, destroy it. No issues with local governors releasing them because the pirates are actually working for them. As recall, for the most part, captures occurred when a warship came on a captured ship and the warship wished to recover it for the owners. If a Roland is sailing in escort duty, this is unlikely to happen. Any pirate stupid enough to attack when a merchant convoy is in company with a ship of war deserves to be removed from the pirate genetic pool. In any case, there shortly will be a shortage of pirates attacking convoys since any stupid enough to do so will be eliminated and any others will avoid such convoys and eventual destruction.

Keith_w wrote:That was precisely my suggestion. If a pirate attacks, destroy it. No issues with local governors releasing them because the pirates are actually working for them. As recall, for the most part, captures occurred when a warship came on a captured ship and the warship wished to recover it for the owners. If a Roland is sailing in escort duty, this is unlikely to happen. Any pirate stupid enough to attack when a merchant convoy is in company with a ship of war deserves to be removed from the pirate genetic pool. In any case, there shortly will be a shortage of pirates attacking convoys since any stupid enough to do so will be eliminated and any others will avoid such convoys and eventual destruction.

Jonathan_S wrote:And my issue still stands - sometimes you're attacked by people covered by various interstellar treaties (privateers or naval warships) and refusing to accept surrenders from them is illegal.

A certain lady pirate from Warnecke's maniacs has called in from the dead, about how surrenders aren't necessarily taken. Struck the wedge of her heavy cruiser, but HMAMC Wayfarer still rolled down and threw an SD graser right through her.