South Africa sat astride the Cape route, a vital alternative if war closed the Mediterranean route through Suez. A small cruiser squadron could have deterred raiders such as Graf Spee by making the South Atlantic a much more dangerous operating area. Locally built sloops could meanwhile have escorted merchant traffic around the Cape and released Royal Navy ships for more heavily contested theaters. A larger navy would have required either a heavier burden on the existing recruiting pool or wider recruitment for naval service.
Chapter · 1:09:40-1:18:30
South Africa and the Cape route escort gap
The Cape's strategic position made South African cruisers and locally built escorts more useful than a token naval contribution.