A sticky question to Krieghund

[MEGAEINSTEIN]

USA brings a transport and a battleship from sea zone a through sea zone b ending in sea zone c. There is a German sub in sea zone b but cannot attack the transport since it is with a battleship.

Question: if i have another transport in sea zone a and unloads on sea zone b can the german submarine attack since this transport came with a battleship and another transport but was left alone or can the sub not attack?

[Gharen]

If its not the German players turn, which I assume, lets say its USA that has the other ships then they can just ignore the German sub on their turn.  It states in the rulebook that subs and transports can be ignored in combat moves, basically forcing players to buy destroyers as movement/bombard blockers instead of transports and subs.

The player moving the transports and battleship has to openly declare he is attacking that German sub because it isn’t implied.

[calvinhobbesliker]

I think you’re missing that subs can take pot shots on unescorted Tr.

[Krieghund]

Neither transport may be fired upon because each was accompanied by the battleship for its entire move.  If the battleship had stopped in sea zone b, the transport that continued on to sea zone c could have been fired upon, as it would not be escorted for its entire move.

[MEGAEINSTEIN]

I see your point Krieghund but that does not make sense.

If i USA leave sea zone A with a battleship and 2 transports through sea zone B where is a German U-Boat and if i:

1 - leave one transport completely alone in sea zone B and the other transport goes with the battleship to sea zone C the u-boat cannot attack that transport completely alone
2 - leave the battleship and a transport in sea zone B and a transport goes to sea zone C the u-boat can attack that transport in sea zone B where that transport was never alone.

[Krieghund]

A transport must be escorted for its entire move in order to be exempt from sub attacks.  In case 1, the battleship escorts both transports to sea zone B, then leaves one at its destination and continues with the other to sea zone C.

In case 2, the transport going to C is not escorted because it made part of its move without the battleship.  They were not traveling together, therefore they are separate groups.  They just happened to be in sea zone B at the same time.

In order for a warship to be considered an escort, it must be dedicated to that task, not just be in the same sea zone.  This dedication is indicated by the fact that the warship accompanied the transport for the transport’s entire move.