Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, decoy vessels, special service ships, or mystery ships, were heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry, designed to lure

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

s into making surface attacks. This gave Q-ships the chance to open fire and sink them. They were used by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

and the German ''Kaiserliche Marine'' during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and by the Royal Navy, the ''

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...

'', the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

, and the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Though legally recognised as an acceptable tactic of military deception, they have attracted much controversy, enjoying only marginal success during WWI and none in WWII.

Etymology

Short for Queenstown in Ireland, as Haulbowline Dockyard in Cork Harbour was responsible for the conversion of many mercantile steamers to armed decoy ships in World War One, although the majority appear to have been converted in larger navy yards such as Devonport.

Early uses of the concept

The general idea and legal framework for the Q-ship derives from the classic

ruse de guerre The French language, French , sometimes literally translated as ruse of war, is a non-uniform term; generally what is understood by "ruse of war" can be separated into two groups. The first classifies the phrase purely as an act of military decept ...

of "sailing under false colours". As a long standing element of naval tactics, warships may legally disguise themselves in various ways in transit, so long as the proper flags are hoisted before firing commences. Numerous examples exist of the tactic, used both defensively and offensively. Examples of the tactic used against commerce raiders include in the 1670s and French disguised

brigs A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part o ...

during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

. An example of the latter was beaten back by the privateer

lugger A lugger is a sailing vessel defined by its rig, using the lug sail on all of its one or more masts. Luggers were widely used as working craft, particularly off the coasts of France, England, Ireland and Scotland. Luggers varied extensively ...

''Vulture'' out of

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

First World War

Royal Navy

In 1915, during the

First Battle of the Atlantic The Atlantic U-boat campaign of World War I (sometimes called the "First Battle of the Atlantic", in reference to the World War II campaign of that name) was the prolonged naval conflict between German submarines and the Allied navies in Atla ...

, Britain was in need of a countermeasure against the

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

s that were harassing its sea-lanes. Convoys, which had proved effective in earlier times (and would again prove effective during the

), were rejected by the resource-strapped

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

and the independent captains.

Depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited ...

s would only start to become available at the start of 1916, and so almost the only chance of sinking a

was by gunfire or by ramming while on the surface. Submarines could attack by

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

or by

deck gun A deck gun is a type of naval artillery mounted on the deck of a submarine. Most submarine deck guns were open, with or without a shield; however, a few larger submarines placed these guns in a turret. The main deck gun was a dual-purpose w ...

. Torpedoes can be used while the vessel is submerged and invisible to her target, while deck guns are used on the surface. Torpedoes were expensive, unreliable, and a submarine only carried a limited number of them. Ammunition for a deck gun, oppositely, was inexpensive and plentiful in comparison. As a result, submarine captains preferred to surface and use their deck gun on most targets. However, when encountering a warship, submarine commanders could recognise the threat they posed and use a torpedo, or simply not engage. A solution to this was the creation of the Q-ship, one of the most closely guarded secrets of the war. Their codename referred to the vessels'

home port A vessel's home port is the port at which it is based, which may not be the same as its port of registry shown on its registration documents and lettered on the stern of the ship's hull. In the cruise industry the term "home port" is also oft ...

, Queenstown, in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

.Beyer, Kenneth M.: ''Q-Ships versus U-Boats. America's Secret Project''. Naval Institute Press. Annapolis, Maryland, USA. 1999. These became known by the Germans as a ''U-Boot-Falle'' ("U-boat trap"). A Q-ship would appear to be an unarmed merchant ship and so an easy target, but in fact were warships that carried hidden armaments. A typical Q-ship might resemble a tramp steamer sailing alone in an area where a U-boat was reported to be operating. By seeming to be a suitable target for the U-boat's deck gun, a Q-ship was intended to lure a submarine into surfacing to attack. Once the U-boat was vulnerable, perhaps even gulled further by pretence of some crew dressed as civilian mariners "abandoning ship" and taking to a boat, the Q-ship would drop its panels and immediately open fire with its deck guns. At the same time, the vessel would reveal her true colours by raising the

White Ensign The White Ensign, at one time called the St George's Ensign because of the simultaneous existence of a crossless version of the flag, is an ensign worn on British Royal Navy ships and shore establishments. It consists of a red St George's Cr ...

(

flag). When successfully fooled, a U-boat could quickly become overwhelmed by several guns to its one, or defer from firing and try to submerge before it became mortally wounded. The first Q-ship victory was on 23 June 1915, when the submarine , cooperating with the decoy vessel ''Taranaki'', sank off

Eyemouth Eyemouth is a town and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is east of the main north–south A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road and north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. The town's name ...

. The first victory by an unassisted Q-ship came on 24 July 1915 when sank . The civilian crew of ''Prince Charles'' received a cash award. The following month an even smaller converted fishing trawler renamed successfully destroyed near

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...

. ''Inverlyon'' was an unpowered sailing ship fitted with a small 3-pounder (47 mm) gun. The British crew fired nine rounds from their 3-pounder into ''UB-4'' at close range, sinking her with the loss of all hands despite the attempt of ''Inverlyon''s commander to rescue one surviving German submariner. On 19 August 1915, sank , which was preparing to attack the nearby merchant ship ''Nicosian''. About a dozen of the U-boat sailors survived and swam towards the merchant ship. The commanding officer, allegedly fearing that they might scuttle her, ordered the survivors to be shot in the water and sent a

boarding Boarding may refer to: *Boarding, used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals as in a: **Boarding house **Boarding school *Boarding (horses) (also known as a livery yard, livery stable, or boarding stable), is a stable where hor ...

party to kill all who had made it aboard. This became known as the " Baralong incident". (Q.5) sank on 22 March 1916. Her commander, Gordon Campbell, was awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

(VC). New Zealanders Lieutenant Andrew Dougall Blair and Sub-Lieutenant

William Edward Sanders William Edward Sanders (7 February 1883 – 14 August 1917) was a First World War List of New Zealand Victoria Cross recipients, New Zealand recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that ...

faced three U-boats simultaneously in ''Helgoland'' (Q.17) while becalmed and without engines or wireless. Forced to return fire early, they managed to sink one U-boat and avoid two torpedo attacks. Sanders was promoted to lieutenant commander, eventually commanding the topsail schooner in command of which he was awarded the Victoria Cross for an action on 30 April 1917 with , which was severely damaged. ''Helgoland'', while the ship sustained heavy shellfire, waited until the submarine was within , whereupon he hoisted the

and ''Prize'' opened fire. The submarine appeared to sink and he claimed a victory. However, the badly damaged submarine managed to struggle back to port. With his ship accurately described by the survivors of ''U-93'', Sanders and his crewmen were all killed in action when they attempted a surprise attack on on 14 August 1917. According to ''Warships of World War I'' by H. M. LeFleming, the Royal Navy converted 58 from merchant ships (18 were sunk by U-boats), in addition to 40 s and 20 PC-boats. However ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921'' claims that no fewer than 157 named submarine decoy vessels converted from other types of ship, in addition to another ten whose name was unknown. It agrees with LeFleming about the number of sloops and PC-boats. These ones were completed as Q-ships, disguised as coastal freighters and differed from regular service PC-boats. None were lost in the war. The Flower-class sloops were designed on merchant ship lines thus making them easily adaptable for conversion to Q-ships, 39 being completed as such while the other was converted after being torpedoed. These all had single

funnels A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening. Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its constructi ...

as the merchant ship silhouette was left to the builders. The "Flower-Q's" were employed mainly on convoy and anti-submarine work. Nine were lost during the war. After the war, it was concluded that the effectiveness of the Q-ship initiative was greatly overrated, diverting skilled seamen from other duties without sinking enough U-boats to justify the strategy. Estimates differ due to the uncertainty of the attribution of lost submarines, but in a total of approximately 150 engagements, British Q-ships destroyed or assisted in the loss of around 12-15 U-boats and damaged 60, at a cost of 27-38 Q-ships lost out of ~200. Q-ships were thus responsible for under 10% of all U-boats sunk, ranking them well below the use of ordinary

minefields A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, whic ...

in effectiveness. Around half of Q-ship successes took place in June to September 1915, after which the ships were much less effective. With the second round of unrestricted submarine warfare in 1917, Q-ships sunk only 3 submarines, dwarfed by the ~28 sunk by undisguised warships.

Imperial German Navy

The Imperial German Navy commissioned six Q-boats during the Great War for the Baltic Sea into the ''Handelsschutzflottille''. None were successful in destroying enemy submarines. The German Q-ship ''Schiff K'' heavily damaged the Russian submarine ''Gepard'' of the on 27 May 1916. The famous ''Möwe'' and ''Wolf'' were merchant raiders, vessels designed to disrupt enemy trade and sink merchantmen, rather than attack enemy warships.

Second World War

Germany

Germany employed at least 13 Q-ships, including the ''Schürbeck'' which sank the British submarine . The German , which sank a number of ships with a total tonnage of 145,960 t including the Norwegian tanker ''Tirranna'' on 10 June 1940, was more of a

merchant raider Merchant raiders are armed commerce raiding ships that disguise themselves as non-combatant merchant vessels. History Germany used several merchant raiders early in World War I (1914–1918), and again early in World War II (1939–1945). The cap ...

Japan

The

converted the 2,205-ton merchant ship ''Delhi Maru'' into a Q-ship. On 15 January 1944, she departed from Nagaura (now

Sodegaura 260px, Sodegaura park is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 64,901 in 28,156 households and a population density of 680 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Sodegaura loc ...

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan spanning the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, on the southern coast of the island of Honshu. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. Th ...

) on her first mission in company with the

submarine chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a type of small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. They encompass designs that are now largely obsolete, but which played an important role in the wars of the first half of th ...

''Ch-50'' and the netlayer ''Tatu Maru''. At 22:00 that evening, the vessels were detected by the submarine , which launched three torpedoes. ''Delhi Maru'' was hit by all three on her port bow; following a number of internal explosions, she broke in two, the forward section sinking immediately and the aft section sinking later in heavy seas. Although '' Swordfish'' was depth charged by ''Ch-50'', she escaped unscathed.

United Kingdom

Nine Q-ships were commissioned by the

in September and October 1939 for work in the North Atlantic:Lenton, H.T. and Colledge, J.J.: ''British and Dominion Warships of World War II'', 1968, p. 279 * 610-ton HMS ''Chatsgrove'' (X85) ex-Royal Navy PC-74 built 1918 * 5,072-ton HMS ''Maunder'' (X28) ex-''King Gruffyd'' built 1919 * 4,443-ton HMS ''Prunella'' (X02) ex-''Cape Howe'' built 1930 * 5,119-ton HMS ''Lambridge'' (X15) ex-''Botlea'' built 1917 * 4,702-ton HMS ''Edgehill'' (X39) ex-''Willamette Valley'' built 1928 * 5,945-ton HMS ''Brutus'' (X96) ex-''City of Durban'' built 1921 * 4,398-ton HMS ''Cyprus'' (X44) ex-''Cape Sable'' built 1936 * 1,030-ton HMS ''Looe'' (X63) ex-''Beauty'' built 1924 * 1,090-ton HMS ''Antoine'' (X72) ex-''Orchy'' built 1930 ''Prunella'' and ''Edgehill'' were torpedoed and sunk on 21 and 29 June 1940 without even sighting a U-boat. The rest of the vessels were paid off in March 1941 without successfully accomplishing any mission. The last Royal Navy Q-ship, 2,456-ton , was converted in September, 1940, to carry a torpedo defense net, four guns, four torpedo tubes, two OS2U Kingfisher floatplanes, and Motor Torpedo Boat 105. ''Fidelity'' sailed with a French crew, and was sunk by on 30 December 1942 during the battle for

Convoy ON 154 Convoy ON 154 (alternatively Convoy ON(S) 154 or Convoy ONS 154) was a North Atlantic convoy of the ON convoys which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War. It was the 154th of the numbered series of merchant ship convoy ...

United States

By 12 January 1942, the British Admiralty's intelligence community had noted a "heavy concentration" of U-boats off the "North American seaboard from New York to Cape Race" and passed along this fact to the

. That day, under ''Kapitänleutnant'' Reinhard Hardegen, torpedoed and sank the British steamship ''Cyclops'', inaugurating '' Paukenschlag'' (literally, "a strike on the kettledrum" and sometimes referred to in English as "Operation Drumbeat").

commanders found peacetime conditions prevailing along the coast: towns and cities were not blacked-out and navigational buoys remained lit; shipping followed normal routines and "carried the normal lights." ''Paukenschlag'' had caught the United States unprepared. Losses mounted rapidly. On January 20, 1942, Commander-in-Chief,

United States Fleet The United States Fleet was an organization in the United States Navy from 1922 until after World War II. The acronym CINCUS, pronounced "sink us", was used for the Commander in Chief, United States Fleet. This was replaced by COMINCH in December ...

(Cominch) Earnest J. King, sent a coded dispatch to Commander, Eastern Sea Frontier (CESF), requesting immediate consideration of the manning and fitting-out of "Queen" ships to be operated as an antisubmarine measure. The result was "Project LQ." Five vessels were acquired and converted secretly at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine: * the Boston beam trawler MS ''Wave'', which briefly became the auxiliary

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

USS ''Eagle'' (AM-132) before becoming , * SS ''Evelyn'' and ''Carolyn'', identical cargo vessels that became and respectively (these hull numbers were actually duplicates of the USS ''Lynx'' and the USS ''Lyra'' respectively), * the tanker SS ''Gulf Dawn'', which became , and * the schooner ''Irene Myrtle'', which became . The careers of all five ships were almost entirely unsuccessful and very short, with USS ''Atik'' sunk on its first patrol with all hands on 26 March 1942. COMINCH strongly criticized the program and all Q-ships patrols ended in 1943. American Q-ships also operated in the Pacific Ocean. One was formerly the lumber transport ''Coos Bay'' which was converted to Q-ship duty as project "Love William". ''Anacapa'' was not successful in engaging any enemy submarines, although she is believed to have damaged two friendly subs with depth charges when they were improperly operating in her vicinity. ''Anacapa'' was also withdrawn from Q-ship duty in 1943 and served out the remainder of World War II as an armed transport in the South Pacific and Aleutian Islands. The US Navy did not use a consistent

hull classification symbol The United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) use a hull classification symbol (sometimes called hull code or hull number) to identify their ships by type and by ind ...

for its Q-ships (AG, AK, AO, IX and PYc were all used). This and the unprecedented use of duplicate hull numbers for ''Asterion'' and ''Atik'' reflect the great secrecy attached to these ships.

Proposed use against modern pirates

Attacks on merchant ships by pirates originating on the Somalia coast have brought suggestions from some security experts that Q-ships be used again to tempt pirates into attacking a well-defended ship.

Survivors

A surviving example of the Q-ships is HMS ''Saxifrage'', a Flower-class sloop of the ''Anchusa'' group completed in 1918. She was renamed in 1922 and served as the London Division RNR drill ship until 1988, when she was sold privately and remained moored at King's Reach on the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

until 2016, when her mooring was sold to Thames Water to facilitate the

Thames Tideway Tunnel The Thames Tideway Tunnel is a deep-level sewer along the tidal section of the River Thames in London, running from Acton in the west to Abbey Mills in the east, where it joins the Lee Tunnel which connects to Beckton Sewage Treatment Wor ...

project. ''President'' was towed to Chatham Dockyard on the River Medway in Kent, where she is now abandoned.

Q-ships in fiction

The

Alfred Noyes Alfred Noyes Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (16 September 188025 June 1958) was an English poet, short-story writer and playwright. Early years Noyes was born in Wolverhampton, England the son of Alfred and Amelia Adams No ...

poem "Kilmeny" is about a Q-ship, a British trawler equipped with two deck guns, that destroys a German submarine during World War I. In

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

's novel '' Islands in the Stream'', the main character Thomas Hudson commands a Q-ship for the US Navy around Cuba as he hunts the survivors of a sunken German U-boat. In

Edward L. Beach Jr. Edward Latimer Beach Jr. (April 20, 1918 – December 1, 2002) was a United States Navy submarine officer and author. During World War II, he participated in the Battle of Midway and 12 combat patrols, earning 10 decorations for gallantry, inclu ...

's novel ''

Run Silent, Run Deep ''Run Silent, Run Deep'' is a novel by Commander (later Captain) Edward L. Beach Jr. published in 1955 by Henry Holt and Company, Henry Holt & Co. The story describes World War II submarine warfare in the Pacific Ocean, and deals with themes of ...

'', Japanese Q-ships make two appearances with one surprising the Walrus and the second being attacked by the ''Eel'' in the final battle of the story.

Malcolm Lowry Clarence Malcolm Lowry (; 28 July 1909 – 26 June 1957) was an English poet and novelist who is best known for his 1947 novel ''Under the Volcano'', which was voted No. 11 in the Modern Library's 100 Best Novels list.

's novel ''

Under the Volcano ''Under the Volcano'' is a novel by the English writer Malcolm Lowry (1909–1957) published in 1947. It tells the story of Geoffrey Firmin, an alcoholic British Consulate general, consul in the Mexican city of Cuernavaca, Quauhnahuac on the D ...

'' (1947) tells the story of Geoffrey Firmin, an alcoholic British

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

in the small Mexican town of Quauhnahuac, on the

Day of the Dead The Day of the Dead () is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pa ...

, 2 November 1938. Geoffrey Firmin reflects back to his time as a naval officer during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, when he was court-martialed and subsequently decorated for his actions aboard a Q-ship (the captured German officers disappeared and were allegedly burned alive in the boiler). In the

Clive Cussler Clive Eric Cussler (July 15, 1931 – February 24, 2020) was an American adventure novelist and underwater explorer. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, have been listed on ''The New York Times'' fiction best-sell ...

book series '' Oregon Files'', the main base of operations is a Q-ship, a converted lumber carrier. The crew are mercenaries and former US covert and military personnel who carry out missions around the world in support of US policy while earning their living performing mercenary operations. The 1951 movie ''

Operation Pacific ''Operation Pacific'' is a 1951 black-and-white World War II submarine war drama from Warner Bros. Pictures, produced by Louis Edelman, and written as well as directed by George Waggner. John Wayne and Patricia Neal star and Ward Bond and ...

'' features a battle with a Q-Ship by the fictional submarine USS ''Thunderfish'', inspired by an encounter with an enemy ship by the USS ''Growler''.

In science fiction

As with other naval concepts, the idea of a Q-ship has also been applied to space vessels in fictional works: Q-ships feature prominently in

David Weber David Mark Weber (born October 24, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He has written several science-fiction and fantasy books series, the best-known of which is the Honor Harrington science-fiction series. His first nov ...

Honor Harrington The Honorverse is a military science fiction book series, its two Spin-off (media), subseries, two prequel series, and anthologies created by David Weber and published by Baen Books. They are centered on the space navy career of the principal p ...

series of books. Harrington destroys a Q-ship in the first novel, ''

On Basilisk Station ''On Basilisk Station'' is a science fiction novel by American writer David Weber, first published in 1993. It is the first book in his Honor Harrington series, and follows Commander Honor Harrington and Her Majesty’s light cruiser ''Fearless ...

'', and commands a squadron of Q-ships in the sixth novel, '' Honor Among Enemies''. In the tenth book in the series, '' War of Honor'', Thomas Bachfisch commands a pair of privately owned Q-ships. In the Jan/Feb 2020 issue of

Analog Science Fiction and Fact ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William Cla ...

, Joel Richards has a short story titled "Q-ship Militant". In DC Comics' ''Star Spangled War Stories'' #71 (reprinted in their ''Weird War'' #1) the story "The End of the Sea Wolf!" is a postwar "flashback" story of a U-boat commander engaging a Q-ship in WWII.

References

Bibliography

External links

Royal Navy 'Q' Ships

His Imperial German Majesty's U-boats in the

"Q-Boats – An Answer to Submarines"
''

Popular Science Popular science (also called pop-science or popsci) is an interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is more broad ranging. It may be written ...

'', January 1940 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Q-Ship Anti-submarine weapons Q-ships Ship types Military use of mimicry