Privateer

[Borys]

Ahoj!
I checked. You can pretend to be a Venetian gondolier, but you must fly your true colours before you fire the torpedos.

Borys

[P3D]

Good ol' cruiser rules?

[Ithekro]

As is standard practice, even among pirates, is to raise your true colors before firing a shot.

However submarines do not follow this tactic...at least in practise.  They reportedly are suppose to follow these rules, and the British cried foul when the German U-boats didn't (or actaully couldn't) give time for the merchantmen crews to abondon ship before sinking the vessels, nor taking on prisoners (since there is no place to fit them into a submarine).

If I recall history correctly, the British and Germans blockades and raided the other's shipping during the Great War, and the United States objected to both of them.  However the British way was the traditional way where as the German way was new.  And the Germans did stop unrestricted submarine warfare for a period of time.  Many think the British called foul because the method was more effective than their own.  Other because it caused more civilian deaths.  With the German Fleet stuck for the most part in the North Sea and Baltic Sea, they really couldn't expect to be able to maintain the traditional raiders as well as the British might.

But those are raiders, not privateers.

I might note that what Rohan's privateers have engaged in is legal under the Hague Convention as they are operating as vessels authorized for government service specified to hunt down pirates.

Article 19

A seizure on account of piracy may only be carried out by warships or other ships on government service authorized to that effect.

[Carthaginian]

Ahoj!
I checked. You can pretend to be a Venetian gondolier, but you must fly your true colours before you fire the torpedos.

Borys

So as long as a raider- in naval service or 'contracted'- flies his colors before firing a shot, he's in the clear.
Otherwise, he's a pirate- even though pirates generally did give the same courtesy- and you can feed him to the sharks.
Well, that answers that question as far as out new conventions go.

As is standard practice, even among pirates, is to raise your true colors before firing a shot.

However submarines do not follow this tactic...at least in practice. 

I think this is why so many submarine crews in so many navies around the world are often seen sporting a Jolly Rodgers in old wartime photos. They felt themselves kin to the pirates of old- a rag-tag group of hardcore warriors, hated by their enemies- and not particularly trusted by their friends, either.

[Carthaginian]

The Confederate States of America long depended on corsairs to keep their long coastlines safe from the predations of hostile nations. Being unable to construct a proper navy of their own until after their secession from the Norman Kingdom was complete, corsairs were at first the only real viable option for carrying the war to the enemy. Even after the Confederate States christened a fleet of 12 large frigates for work in the Atlantic, corsairs continued to aid the nation by keeping the coasts and Gulf of Mexico safe.

After the trans-continental expansion, corsairs again became important to the Confederacy, as no real warships existed in the Pacific, and it would take several years to build up a real naval presence there. Thus, a new role for corsairs developed in protecting the Pacific coast in a rough and ready way in the absence of the national navy.

The Confederacy continues to employ corsairs, though today they are generally more like contracted private security rather than the 'replacement navy' of earlier times. There are 20 licensed corsairs in Confederate service, employed predominately in the guarding of important civilian ports which have no full-time naval presence. These corsairs are under contract with and are regulated by the Confederate Navy. The  largest of the corsairs in Confederate service at presence is the Margie May (R. K. Gibbons, Master), armed with two 25 pounders and twelve 6 pounders. She is currently stationed in Tampa Bay, Florida. Several smaller vessels mounting no guns bigger than a 6 pounder are stationed at minor ports as well, and some small ships (under 50') are employed along the various larger rivers of the Confederacy.

There are no plans to employ corsairs on a large scale in organized warfare in the future, due to the fact that the Confederate Navy is now large and powerful enough to guard it's obligations, however, some smaller corsairs (similar to the ones now employed) might be hired as additional coastal patrols.

[Borys]

Ahoj!
The USW in WWI was declared twice, for sometime in 1915 and then from 1917 onwards.
The most successful submariner - Kptlt. Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière - sunk 194 ships - ALL under "cruiser warfare" rules. Surface - warning shot - load merchant's crew on boats - point towards nearest land - sink merchant - rinse and repeat.
One of the reasons for USW was that the British blokade was breaking the Hague left and right. Hijaking a hospital ship by the British in 1914 did not help the cause of Hague compliance much. Q-ships were another violatation.

Borys

[Desertfox]

NS stance is that everything is fair in Love and War. Be them raiders, privateers, or pirates NS has them and will use them. I have already used twice, disguised armed merchants in combat, and have armed my regular merchants for self defence, and have had to use them too. Four AMCs are in the navy's roll.

Armament of:

Queen Anne (AKA Black Pearl) sailing 'pirate' ship
4x4" + light guns

Ulysses, disguised merchant SSS
4x6" + light guns