Concentrating a brigade in a few large merchant hulls creates lucrative targets and exposes the limits of a small escort fleet. Removing cruise-ship leisure fittings, such as slides, could free topweight for defensive equipment. Close-in weapon systems, short-range missiles such as CAMM or ESSM, useful sensors, torpedo decoys, and perhaps anti-torpedo torpedoes could give each transport some protection. Modern shipping has fewer and much larger ships than the individually armed merchantmen of the world wars, so losing one hull carries greater consequences. Each merchant vessel would defend the final mile around itself. Escorts could then concentrate on protecting the convoy or task group.
Chapter · 22:18-24:40
From armed merchant cruiser to defensible merchant vessel
Large, scarce transports need enough last-mile defence to let a limited escort force protect the convoy as a whole.