tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post3336384745218881709..comments2024-03-29T13:09:31.522+01:00Comments on Defence and Freedom: Naval convoys, operational research and stuff: Part 1/2; World wars periodUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-10272082035130167482012-04-05T22:36:57.745+02:002012-04-05T22:36:57.745+02:00You may have already consulted this, but the US Na...You may have already consulted this, but the US Navy Operations Evaluation Group Report #51 on ASW Operations provides some more background on difficulties with convoys:<br /> http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/rep/ASW-51/index.html<br /><br />(Chapter 10 "CONVOYING AND ESCORTING OF SHIPPING"<br />, pg 110-112)Phil Ridderhofnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-350313843523755552012-04-05T14:13:33.953+02:002012-04-05T14:13:33.953+02:00SO wrote: "These two effects mean that the me...SO wrote: "These two effects mean that the mere accomplishment of forcing an opposing power to employ a convoy system already reduces its merchant marine capacity a lot. Strangely, this effect was not to be found in any work that covers either a Battle of the Atlantic or other convoy regimes that I've ever read (= several ones)."<br /><br />These drawbacks of convoys were understood and mentioned IRCC works like Potter et al. "Seapower" and van der Vat "The Atlantic Campaign", usually for WWI. The Bismarck raid did much more damage by disrupting and delaying convoy oprations than by sinking ships. <br />Longer convoy routes, e.g.Suez route blocked by German Air Force in the Mediteerenean Sea, also reduced the effective capacity.<br /><br />On the other hand large numbers of ships of the same type (Liberty ship) and/or assingenet of ships with the same crusing speed to the same convoy helped a lot.<br /><br />Oother factors that favour large convoys was the fact, that the number of ready torpedoes determined the number of kills a sub, that was operating inside an convoy, could achieve and finding their target was also a real problem for subs, so only few large convoys reduced the losses.<br /><br />UlenspiegelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com