A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit.

Convoy, vessels sailing under the protection of an armed escort. Originally, convoys of merchant ships were formed as a protection against pirates. During World War I and World War II, the practice was revived to protect Allied and neutral merchant shipping against German surface raiders and submarines.

Aerial photo of a November 1942 UG convoy This is a List of Allied convoys during World War II by region.

A database of the mercantile vessels that sailed in the misc convoys series taken from the Arnold Hague convoy database. Full listings of ships and escorts are given for each convoy together with full ship search facility.

2024年12月27日 · During times of war, protecting merchant ships became vital for ensuring the flow of goods and resources. The convoy system emerged as a key strategy, grouping multiple ships together under naval escort to guard against enemy attacks. By sailing in convoys, merchant vessels significantly increased their chances of safe passage.

The convoy —a group of merchantmen or troopships traveling together with a naval escort—was revived during World War I (1914–18), after having been discarded at the start of the Age of Steam.

By definition, a convoy consisted of two or more merchant ships under the escort of one or more warships, but typical transatlantic convoys during the war consisted of large numbers of ships—the largest composed of 166, with typical convoys consisting of 45 to 60 ships—steaming in 9 to 12 columns with 1,000 yards between columns and 600 ...

In total the Royal and French Navies deployed three capital ships, four aircraft carriers and 16 cruisers. Meanwhile sister ship "Deutschland", after accounting for two ships in the North Atlantic was ordered home. She reached Germany in November and was renamed "Lutzow".

In the attempt to disrupt the convoys, the Germans lost 5 surface warships, 31 submarines, and many aircraft. The direct impact of these convoys was in the realm of supply and logistics, but they played a role in shaping the military strategy of the Battle of the Atlantic as well.

There were numerous Allied convoys crossing the North Atlantic as suitable targets, starting with ONS5: (1) Slow UK/North America ONS5 - On the 21st April, ONS5 sailed with 42 ships from Liverpool outward bound for North America.