During WW ll, conveys were used to run passed German U boats. Couldn't conveys be used with military support?

RemembertheUtah

Yes.....if you are willing to delay departures, slow transport and clog ports. Imagine ships sailing where they ALL depart at the same time and they ALL arrive at the same time. The ports could not handle it and there would be a clog of ships.

A better approach would be the Q ship tactic. Put armed troops on cargo ships and send them out. When the pirates attack, wipe them out. Do that a number of times and even the dumbest pirate will realize it is too dangerous to attack cargo ships. Of course this is a nasty Republican tactic so do not wait for Obama to do it. He would rather lose a number of American crews than risk getting bad PR in the world press...

Talen

I'm assuming you are referring to the current piracy events in Somalia.
It is possible that ships could use a "buddy" system to help protect them, but bear in mind that the more delays there are in the schedules of the ships, the higher the prices are and less money the shipping companies make, which would effect the workers in the companies.
Also, in WW II there was military support of convoys. Part of the reason for the convoy system was to allow the maximum protection with the limited military presence available.
I hate to nit-pick, but your question should have looked like this:
During WWII, convoys were used to run past German U-boats. Couldn't convoys be used with military support?

TedRoy

they just didn't have the resources, if they focused on protecting the convoys then they'd be vulnerable elsewhere.

convoys still had protection, but the effectiveness of the U-boat "wolfpacks" outmatched them

Mark F

I assume your talking about the Sea of Aden area (yawn)?

Let's put this in perspective. 25,000 ships per year transit these waters each year. About 250 are attacked, not all successfully. An epidemic this is not, just another case of American hyper-overreaction and mass hysteria.

In WWII the United States Navy alone built over 600 destroyer escorts, 100 patrol frigates and many hundreds of smaller vessels for convoy escort work alone. Today the worlds navies combined can't mass those kinds of numbers.

DarkBlu37

They were in WWII.

DUDE!!!

i dont think we had enough ships for support at the time. we were still building up our military.

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