Béarn and aircraft patrols in the Atlantic gap

Béarn could provide aircraft cover for important convoys crossing the Atlantic gap. Those patrols would threaten Condors conducting reconnaissance and U-boats spending much of their time on the surface. Submarines needed surface passage to reach distant patrol areas efficiently, submerging to evade particular threats or patrols. Aircraft around a convoy would therefore interfere with the way U-boats travelled and approached their targets. A French seaplane carrier could establish additional operating bases, while cruisers strengthened Mediterranean deployments and North Atlantic patrols.