Thomas Burton, a merchant seaman from Newfoundland, described the perils of zig-zagging aboard the Empress of Britain, a luxury liner then working as a troopship. Merchant seamen described the experience of zig-zagging in convoy from a ‘really a screwed up mess most of the time’ to ‘the biggest thrill of my life’.
In World War Two, convoys of over a hundred vessels – of differing capabilities with respect to speed, manoeuvrability and crew experience – were not uncommon. This practice required steady nerves and excellent seamanship. Drawing by John Kingsley Cook, who served in Atlantic convoys. ‘On the Bridge’: merchant marine lookouts in the Second World War. At predetermined times, the clock sounded an alarm, indicating when to change course. To coordinate the convoy’s movements, zig-zag clocks were synchronized by a signal from the commodore’s flagship. At sea, communication between ships was limited. Before leaving port, the convoy commodore issued each ship’s master with the zig-zag diagrams and signals to be used en route. All ships followed the same pattern, one of several top-secret zig-zag diagrams, created by Admiralty anti-submarine experts. Zig-zagging – the practice of frequently altering direction to port or starboard – was designed to disguise a convoy’s true course and confuse the enemy. Ships were completely darkened at night radio communication was prohibited merchant ships were armed convoy destinations were kept secret and in especially dangerous areas, convoys didn’t travel in straight lines. With few naval escorts available, merchant vessels had to defend themselves as much as possible.
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