The Suez Fleet and Its Logistical Tail

The British force included the carriers Albion, Bulwark, Eagle, Ocean, and Theseus alongside cruisers, destroyers, frigates, submarines, and sixteen Fleet Air Arm squadrons. HMNZS Royalist operated near the carrier group as a radar picket until 2 November, when she was ordered to avoid direct participation while remaining close to the force. French contributions included Jean Bart, two carriers, Corsairs, and airborne troops, while the British Army supplied armour, infantry, artillery, engineers, signals, and service units. Minelayers, net layers, minesweepers, landing ships, repair vessels, and merchant ships taken up from trade completed the force behind the combatants. Its scale and variety reveal an integrated naval, air, and amphibious system that was far too large to be either improvised or invisible to allied observers.