Why the covering force could not sit with the convoy

The battle force stayed beyond much of the land-based air and submarine threat, ready to respond to German heavy ships instead of escorting the merchants directly. HMS Victorious was too valuable to use like an escort carrier on submarine patrol beside the convoy. The nearer cruiser group comprised HMS Cumberland, HMS London, USS Tuscaloosa, and USS Wichita, all armed with 8-inch guns. A German force leaving Norway might turn toward Arctic traffic or break into the Atlantic, so the covering groups needed intelligence early enough to move toward the correct route. Their central position served the wider campaign but left them poorly placed to protect either convoy system without warning.