Can a convoy system still work against modern submarines, missiles, and shore-based weapons?
Short answerConvoys are judged possible and sensible against those threats, provided the escorts and merchant defenses exist. The criticism is that fleets are unlikely to have enough of either ready in time.
NotesA viewer doubts that convoys can survive modern submarines and shore-based weapons, proposing defended choke points and timed shipping movements instead. Fixed protection can work in limited waters, but it does not solve the problem of an Atlantic or Pacific crossing. The further claim that a homing torpedo makes a kill nearly inevitable is challenged with decoys and a mention of Israeli anti-torpedo torpedoes, whose effectiveness is not quantified here. The proposed convoy has a frigate of more than 6,000 tons as leader, with uncrewed sloops providing much of the outer screen. Fewer, much larger merchant ships would also need modular defensive systems of their own. The main objection is readiness: the escorts and merchant modules would have to exist in sufficient numbers before the war. In this assessment, fleets have failed to prepare the logistics and infrastructure for a long war, so a technically sensible convoy concept could still be unavailable when needed. Some uncrewed escorts would absorb attacks at the edge of the convoy.