A merchant ship could support a sizeable helicopter group by adding a hangar, workshops, accommodation, fuel, and a strengthened landing area. The conversion could occupy one end of the vessel and avoid the full flight deck, catapults, and rebuilt upper works needed for fixed-wing aircraft. Fighters would still matter against long-range aircraft such as the Fw 200 Condor, but much of the convoy's local anti-submarine patrol could pass to rotary-wing aircraft. Short range matters less when the task is continuous coverage around ships moving together across the Atlantic. The result is a faster and less mechanically demanding route to mass escort aviation.
Chapter · 5:23-8:19
Helicopters simplify convoy escort conversions
Vertical lift replaces much of the flight-deck machinery and ship-handling burden required by fixed-wing escort carriers.