How did the Royal Navy react to the prospect of Type XXI submarines?
Short answerBy sustaining escort construction; better submarines still had to transit, find convoys, and defeat the existing escort screen.
NotesThe Type XXI would be a much more capable submarine, especially during the transit to its patrol area. The Royal Navy's answer was to keep destroyers, frigates, and Castle-class corvettes moving through the construction pipeline as quickly as possible. A boat that survived the passage still had to locate a convoy across a large ocean. It then had to penetrate an escort system built from numerous ships rather than defeat one opposing vessel. Better submarine performance would raise Allied losses and pressure, but it would not erase the value of escort depth, convoy routing, and production. The design's effectiveness depended on the complete operational chain required to inflict damage.