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‘Q-ships’ were a creative British response to the formidable U-boat threat of the Second World War (1939-1945). What were they?

Answer: They were heavily armed merchant vessels, disguised to resemble vulnerable supply ships. Their guns would be cleverly disguised and brought into action in just minutes and able to deliver a salvo remarkably quickly.

U-boats would often be caught by surprise, expecting the ships to be easy prey. They became feared by U-Boat crews as the ‘U-boat traps’.

Source: The United States in the First World War by Anne Cipriano Venzon; General Historical Texts.

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