Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2024 January 28

= January 28 =

Time limit on similar trap tactic as the Trap of Montevideo
Article 16 of the Hague Convention says: "A belligerent war-ship may not leave a neutral port or roadstead until twenty-four hours after the departure of a merchant ship flying the flag of its adversary."

The British famously used this Article to "trap" a German warship in the Battle of the River Plate.

I don't see any clause in this Article that limits how long a "trap" like this can last. Can this "trap" be used to force a warship to stay in a neutral port for the duration of an entire war? Liberté2 (talk) 02:52, 28 January 2024 (UTC)


 * Only if you have enough merchant ships to have one depart each and every day. Although I suppose you could make do with two. Have ship A depart on day 1, ship B depart on day 2 and have A return to port the same day, and keep on alternating. However, the authorities might get a bit tired of these shenanigans. Clarityfiend (talk) 12:34, 28 January 2024 (UTC)


 * Presumably the merchant ships had a planned itinerary with bills of lading and Montivideo was on their route.  I don't think that diverting merchant ships or running them empty would qualify, which running them in and out of port on alternate days would suggest. 2A00:23C7:2B14:A201:D4C3:1F14:2CBE:C1E0 (talk) 13:54, 28 January 2024 (UTC)
 * You could send them from Montevideo (Uruguay) to Buenos Aires (Argentina) and back. It's about a 110 mile run; even at a leisurely 5 knots that's only 22 hours, less if you can get a bit of a shift on or take a tidal assist. Martin of Sheffield (talk) 15:06, 28 January 2024 (UTC)

Does the Port of New York and New Jersey have any roadsteads?
Bolivar Roads, Hampton Roads, Lahaina Roads and Puget Sound are the only American ones in the list at roadstead. I've never heard anything in Boston, Philly or Baltimore called a roads(tead) either but I'm not a boater. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 16:18, 28 January 2024 (UTC)
 * There is likely to be overlap between Roadsteads and Natural harbors, of which New York is one. I notice for example that Roadstead of Brest and Scapa Flow are listed in both articles. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.205.103.187 (talk) 19:44, 28 January 2024 (UTC)