American Standard-type battleships could escort a convoy even when faster Italian ships could choose to break off an engagement. The defending battle line's job would be to stay with the merchant ships. An attacker seeking the convoy would then have to approach its battleship escort and accept a fight. British Revenge-class ships provide the same example: their ability to protect the convoy did not require them to chase an enemy that withdrew. This positional use of slow battleships offers a different tactical approach for the hypothetical US fleet in the Mediterranean.
Notable Point · 3:43:22-3:45:18
Slow battleships as convoy-defense anvils
A slow battle line can still control an engagement when the enemy must pass it to reach a convoy.