Escort ships and screening merchants

[Yaab]

I have seen many times in combat reports that DDs can screen merchants from enemy surface TFs.

However, can small escort and small craft (as defined in the final manual, p.206) screen merchants as well? I don't have nay samples from combat reports but I would reckon small escorts (DE, DM,DMS, E, APD) can still set smoke screens. However, can small craft (especially PB, PC and AM) do that as well? I have a feeling that PBs are basically an ablative armor for xAK/xAP TFs and cannot screen merchant ships.

Or maybe screening is subject to Naval skill rolls, and since smaller ships have lousier captains, they screen less often?

[Bo Rearguard]

I've seen it happen recently with a PB...

Range closes to 2,000 yards
xAK Durban Maru , xAK Tokiwa Maru , xAK Nagara Maru , xAK Yamazuki Maru , xAK Kinugasa Maru screened from combat
- escorted by PB Magan Maru

However, in this instance the Japanese ships were being attacked by motor torpedo boats.

[BBfanboy]

When my Allied naval TF catches an enemy convoy the initial shooting is usually at the largest xAKs or TKs. But shortly after the shooting begins to shift to the enemy escorts. Until those escorts are heavily damaged there is much less shooting at the merchantmen. I interpret that to mean the escorts are trying to intervene. But since most small escorts are not really fast, the fast warships attacking can eventually get around them and start shooting at the merchants again, unless the die rolls say the convoy escapes (battle smoke, rain squall or fog?).

[Yaab]

Eh, I guess every escort can screen. Tried CTRL+F with "screened from combat" in the AAR forum and found SC screening
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 6#p5049036

[Yaab]

I wonder if Naval skill influences smoke screen, as well as a ship's characteristics - a fast ship (DD) with more powerful engines should set a faster smoke screen over a bigger area. This would give merchant ships more chance to escape combat unscathed.

[LargeSlowTarget]

Does "screening" really mean that the escorts are laying a smoke screen to hide the merchantships? Or just "escort is interposing itself physically between the merchant ships and the enemy" - as BBfanboy describes ?

[Yaab]

Guess it may mean both. But I wonder if all those small craft as escorst are penalised in "screening" compared to DD classes. A SC or PB cannot hope to do much as a screen other than get itself sunk. Something like a PT with a greater endurance would probbaly do more as an escort.

[BBfanboy]

Does "screening" really mean that the escorts are laying a smoke screen to hide the merchantships? Or just "escort is interposing itself physically between the merchant ships and the enemy" - as BBfanboy describes ?

My use of interpose did not rule out the use of smokescreen from the stack or from generators. But the screening vessel has to be between the enemy and the target, at least as far as the smokescreen can cover.