The submarine inherited the commerce-raiding role once performed by small surface ships, creating demand for numerous small vessels able to deter and hunt it. The Royal Navy and its partners built Flower and Castle-class corvettes, River, Loch, and Bay-class frigates, destroyer escorts, escort destroyers, and related types. Construction ran almost continuously from mid-1939 to mid-1946, with some ships completing still later. More escorts permitted more convoys to sail rather than simply making each formation stronger. Greater frequency reduced port surges and supply famine, so the demand for small combatants remained difficult to satisfy.
Chapter · 40:37-42:11
The continuing demand for specialized escorts
See why submarine warfare drove sustained construction of sloops, corvettes, frigates, destroyer escorts, and other small combatants.