Early merchant losses had cumulative strategic costs

The argument uses Allied merchant-loss data to stress that ships sunk were only the visible portion of the burden; canceled voyages, diversions, and extra resource consumption compounded the damage. Early surface-raider losses mattered before the U-boat campaign reached its 1941-42 peak. Preserving merchant tonnage and experienced crews early would leave more capacity available when the submarine campaign intensified. Regular patrol coverage might also make long-distance German-Japanese submarine exchanges too risky, showing how earlier detection could shape enemy plans before an attack occurred. The proposal does not assume that tenders would save every ship. It argues that they could make raiding and attacks along the African coast harder and influence later operational choices.