The Inshore Squadron supported the land campaign through a mixture of combat, transport, and port work. In ten days it carried tens of thousands of Italian prisoners to Alexandria while delivering roughly 500 tons of stores each day to forward ports. Its crews cleared Sollum and Bardia for traffic and prepared a loaded vessel to enter Tobruk as soon as the port was captured. These tasks converted coastal gains into usable military infrastructure. Naval support to an army often depends more on opening and supplying ports than on fighting a major fleet battle.
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The Inshore Squadron as the army's coastal logistics service
Bombardment, prisoner evacuation, daily supply delivery, harbor clearance, and preparation for Tobruk made small naval forces integral to the North African advance.