Roger Knight's study is a starting point for Britain's struggle against Napoleonic Europe and America. A midshipman's account describes more than four hundred merchant vessels moving through waters crowded with privateers and armed boats. Napoleon complained that supposedly American, Spanish, or Swedish shipping was loaded on British account and equipped with papers manufactured in London. The convoy system protected commerce while commercial disguise helped British trade penetrate the Continental System.
Chapter · 2:35:08-2:36:50
Baltic convoys and disguised British trade
Roger Knight's convoy study shows hundreds of merchantmen moving through the Sound and Great Belt while British-controlled trade often sailed under neutral-looking papers and flags.