A layered cruiser blockade across the Pacific

Could Amphion-class cruisers intercept enemy trade, and where would they operate?

They could intercept trade on distant blockade lines; exposure to enemy aircraft and the operating area determined which cruiser types were suitable.

A cruiser's ability to intercept commerce was separate from the waters in which it should operate. In this deployment concept, Amphion- and Arethusa-type cruisers could patrol distant lines across the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, and the approaches to Panama while avoiding concentrated enemy air power. A cruiser off the Pacific entrance to Panama, supplied from somewhere such as Pitcairn, could intercept shipping far from Japan. Larger Town-class cruisers would operate in the more exposed central Pacific gap, while older cruisers would cover routes behind the main lines. Fleet scouting would place another group of cruisers farther forward.