Queenstown made concentrated destroyer escort possible

Where would enough escorts come from if supplies crossed in convoys of only four ships?

Small, heavily escorted convoys multiplied the demand for destroyers. Sims wanted scarce American destroyers concentrated in the Western Approaches, supported from Queenstown.

Moving the required supplies four ships at a time would multiply the number of convoys and their escort demands. Mercogliano connects the American preference to a focus on troop convoys, while Britain and France also needed continuing cargo deliveries. Sims warned in April 1917 about British food shortages and argued for concentrating American destroyers south of Ireland. Sustaining roughly 35 or 36 destroyers at Queenstown required chartered tankers and imported food because local supplies were insufficient. Mercogliano sees that expeditionary experience as a foundation for the US Navy's later logistics across the Pacific.