A small Norwegian frigate force would have extensive sea-lane commitments of its own. A ship could therefore be unavailable to support a British carrier when Norway needed it for national duties. The example welcomes an allied frigate joining a task group that already has three of its own Type 26s. Dependence on Norway to provide the second or third escort would leave a much larger gap if that ship could not come. Wartime demands make this distinction especially important when governments allocate their limited ships.
Notable Point · 2:15:07-2:16:35
Why an allied frigate cannot be assumed to fill Britain's escort gap
The Norwegian Type 26 example separates welcome allied reinforcement from dependence on another country's ships for a task group's essential escorts.