In Empire Rising, HMS Surprise joins another frigate and a light cruiser to escort nine freighters from a British mining colony. The colony can only be reached through Chinese territory, so rising tensions make scheduled escorted convoys necessary even while the countries remain at peace. Surprise leaves the formation to recover a straggler and receives news that a much larger Chinese force has arrived nearby. The encounter offers intelligence on unfamiliar ships but also exposes a vulnerable merchant convoy. Heat and optical information take more than fifty minutes to reach the detached frigate, so observation cannot provide an immediate picture.
Chapter · 1:27:30-1:31:08
Empire Rising: convoy escort and delayed intelligence
A mining route through Chinese territory puts a small escort force close to a larger fleet, with sensor information arriving tens of minutes late.