Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:05:59-2:07:24

Why the fastest troopships sailed independently

Only exceptionally fast liners routinely sailed alone; slower troopships still used fast convoys.

Battle of the AtlanticConvoysOcean LinersTroopships
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Question

Why was it normal for some World War II troopships to travel by themselves?

Short answer

The fastest liners could outrun a submarine's attempt to reach an attack position; slower troopships normally sailed in fast convoys.

Notes

Only the fastest liners could maintain the speed needed for independent Atlantic crossings. Sustaining roughly 31 knots or more gave a submarine little opportunity to move into an attack position after sighting them. Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary could maintain about 33 knots and illustrate why these ships were especially valuable as troop transports. Slower liners, particularly those below thirty knots, tended to join fast convoys.