Naval Gaming Introduction

The "V" is a special purpose formation which is not commonly used by most 20th Century warships. It offers no advantages for anti-aircraft defense, anti-submarine efforts, or scouting over any other formation, and almost half of the broadsides are blocked for battle lines. This formation is used by mine sweepers when sweeping mine fields. Each following ship is positioned to be within the swept area of the preceding ship. In this way, only the lead vessel proceeds totally unprotected. The "V" is formed with the formation guide always in the lead. The other ships of the formation form lines of bearing on the guide. The angle between the two lines of bearing is normally less than 90°. A "V" formation is always aligned along the course of the formation (i.e., the centerline of the formation and the course are the same). The "V" formation is not easily maneuvered. Simultaneous turns are used for lateral shifts to move the formation sideways. A wheel may be executed, but this maneuver lacks the precision of wheels by other formations. To maintain the formation, the following ships carefully maneuver to maintain their relative positions in the formation as the guide executes a turn. Such turns would normally be limited to 45° or less. This formation is not used as a screen for other ships, as it requires too many ships to form an adequate screen for a main body of any size.