HX convoy statistics distinguish memorable convoy battles from the wider flow of successful crossings. Of 206 ships lost on the route, only 110 were lost while in convoy; stragglers and ships lost around dispersal made up much of the remainder. Enigma decryption and traffic analysis at Bletchley Park helped protect shipping, as did the geometry of convoy concentration and the difficulty of intercepting a moving group. Convoys complicated submarine interception, while surfaced U-boats risked gunfire from escorts such as Flower-class corvettes. Dramatic convoy battles dominate cultural memory without representing the typical Atlantic crossing.
Notable Point · 39:11-44:02
HX convoy statistics challenge the popular Atlantic narrative
About 377 HX convoys made 17,744 ship journeys, while only 38 convoys were attacked and roughly 1.2 percent of journeys ended in loss.