Furious sailed with a heavy cruiser and four destroyers, the kind of fighting escort used with carriers before the war. London also carried 575 service personnel while serving as part of the screen. The destroyers were later replaced by Fearless, Harvester, Havelock, and Wrestler as anti-submarine protection became the priority. Changing the screen also complicated enemy tracking: the carrier and cruiser remained, but the destroyers no longer matched earlier reports of the force. Escort composition could adapt to the route while making the movement harder to identify.
Notable Point · 43:58-45:41
Splice changed escorts as the threat changed
Furious exchanged a fighting escort for stronger anti-submarine protection, also complicating enemy efforts to track the carrier.