On 7 October 1939, each ship in the convoy carried £2 million in gold to finance American equipment and supplies. Two R-class battleships sailed with Emerald, her sister Enterprise, and Caradoc. Tropical uniforms and the East Indies associations of Emerald and Caradoc made the formation look like a plausible reinforcement for warmer imperial waters. India offered a credible cover destination for stored gold, while the ships were actually bound for Canada.
Chapter · 20:06-21:30
A gold convoy disguised as an eastern deployment
In October 1939 a battleship-and-cruiser force carried gold toward Canada while tropical uniforms and familiar East Indies ships made the movement resemble an imperial deployment.