Sunday Mail

[Pam Lowndes]

Someone has already asked this and received the answer Q-Boat but I can only find Q-Ship. My initial answer was U-Boat but I'm not sure now

16 across: One of a number of armed ships disguised as trading vessels used as decoys by the British in the first World War (1-4)

Many Thanks in Advance

[sddsddean]

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/History-and-Myths/Question212224.html

[carolegif]

it must be Q Boat as Ship doesn't fit in with anything else.

carolegif

[davidicus]

U-Boat was German

[theprof]

Both Q-Boat and Q-Ship could have been correct Pam.

When I answered the question, I took it that the most commonly used one was the answer required - I have not seen the Sunday Mail this week. As a result, I said it was Q-Ship. However, as the subsequent posters showed that Q-Boat was the only one that fitted, it had to be that.

I've taken the following from the Macquarie Dictionary - an Australian publication. This is one of only two references that come up when Q-Boat is typed into Xreferplus:


Q-ship
(noun_

(in World War I) a naval vessel disguised as a merchant ship or fishing boat in order to lure enemy submarines within range of its guns.
Also, Q-boat
� 3rd edition Macquarie University, NSW 1997, edited by A Delbridge, JRL Bernard, D Blair, S Butler, P Peters, C Yallop

[theprof]

Here's another from The Hutchinson Encyclopedia:

Q-Boats (or mystery ships)

Small freighters with guns concealed in a collapsible deck structure used by the British in World War I to trap submarines.

On being hailed by a U-boat, a �panic party� would hastily abandon the ship by lifeboat, leaving a fighting party concealed on board. The U-boat would then be lured into sailing closer to the seemingly abandoned ship to ensure sinking it with the minimum amount of gunfire, and as soon as it was within range the guns would be revealed and open fire immediately. Several U-boats were sunk by this ploy, but it soon became well known and had to be abandoned.

Lots of definitions from many publications come up when Q-Ships is typed into Xreferplus.

[robin dearde]

Q Boat is on my mos crossword -and it fits - there you go....