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Latest comment: 12 years ago7 comments2 people in discussion
What is a 'romper'? (Table) I've looked in three (British English) dictionaries and they all say more-or-less the same thing, i.e. 'an item of child's clothing'. I don't think that is the correct answer, or is it an Americanism? RASAM (talk) 14:06, 23 April 2012 (UTC)Reply
It's a British naval term, applied to ships in convoy. A romper is a ship that leaves the convoy by speeding up, to make its own way. The opposite to a straggler, which is a ship that drops out by going slow/not keeping up. Most convoy casualties were stragglers or rompers; the most dangerous place to be was near a convoy ( thus near the U-boats looking for it but away from the protection of the convoy escorts. Escort commanders usually tried to chivvy up stragglers, but there was little they could do about rompers. Xyl 54 (talk) 14:22, 23 April 2012 (UTC)Reply
PS: According to the listing at U-boat.net, the last two, Saint Germain and Veronica, were away from their convoy as well. Something else to look into...Xyl 54 (talk) 14:24, 23 April 2012 (UTC)Reply
Thanks for such a prompt and comprehensive answer, but shouldn't there be some sort of explanation somewhere, so that ignoramuses like me don't have to keep asking for enlightenment - maybe a glossary on the 'List of U-boats' page. What do you think? RASAM (talk) 17:55, 23 April 2012 (UTC)Reply
An entry in a glossary is a good idea; the term is a bit esoteric. But I don't know that List of U-boats is the right place for it; an article on convoy and escort tactics maybe, (if we had one; it's been on my to-do list for a couple of years, now). Meanwhile, there's the Glossary of nautical terms; what do you think about there? Xyl 54 (talk) 23:09, 23 April 2012 (UTC)Reply
Having looked at the Glossary of nautical terms, I would say that is a good place to put it (romper). I didn't know such a glossary existed, but it seems the ideal location; far better than the List of U-boats, which was just an initial thought anyway. RASAM (talk) 11:49, 24 April 2012 (UTC)Reply
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