Italian supreme command described Tripoli as practically blockaded after Force K's attacks, and convoy movements to the port were suspended. Britain reinforced the pressure with Force B, formed around Ajax and Neptune with Kandahar and Jaguar. Their combined presence pushed some convoys onto routes that avoided the surface ships but suited British submarines. The estimate given for November 1941 is about sixty percent of Axis supplies lost in transit. Surface and submarine forces thus affected the same logistical system even when they attacked in different places.
Chapter · 4:34:46-4:38:39
How surface forces channelled convoys towards submarines
The threat of cruiser interception pushed Axis traffic into submarine patrol areas and compounded convoy losses.