Howdy, I've come across an interesting question in my Naval Science Course at the Texas Maritime Academy. What roles would a Merchant Mariner and a Merchant Marine Fleet have in a modern war?
The Navy Lieutenant who teaches this to us basically said that the role of a Merchant Mariner is to step back, stay in convoy formation, stay quiet, and load and unload cargo. Personally I think that there is more to it than that, I'm in training to become a Licensed 3rd Engineer and the role of the Merchant Fleet has become an item of interest for me.
So what all can the Merchant Marine do in a modern war to help out? Can ships do more than sit in convoy formation and hope to God that their escorts are having a good day? What dangers does your average merchant mariner face if a war goes hot and the merchant marine is singled out as a target and what would it take to make a nation's Merchant Fleet to become a target?
Can anyone answer this for me?
The Navy Lieutenant who teaches this to us basically said that the role of a Merchant Mariner is to step back, stay in convoy formation, stay quiet, and load and unload cargo. Personally I think that there is more to it than that, I'm in training to become a Licensed 3rd Engineer and the role of the Merchant Fleet has become an item of interest for me.
So what all can the Merchant Marine do in a modern war to help out? Can ships do more than sit in convoy formation and hope to God that their escorts are having a good day? What dangers does your average merchant mariner face if a war goes hot and the merchant marine is singled out as a target and what would it take to make a nation's Merchant Fleet to become a target?
Can anyone answer this for me?