Convoys in WW2

[Barb]

At that time the only real threat was from surface raiders between New Zealand and Red Sea.
Actually for each leg of the journey a different escort was in place:
Wellington - Sydney: BB Ramillies, CA Canberra, CL Leander for 4+2 transports
Sydney - Fremantle (Perth): BB Ramillies, CA Canberra, CA Australia, CL Sydney (1 day only) for 6+4+1 transports
Fremantle - Colombo: BB Ramillies, CA Kent, CA Suffern for 11 transports
Colombo - Red Sea: CV Eagle, BB Ramillies, CA Sussex, CL Hobart, DD Westcott for 11+1 transports

I would actually use a rule of thumb - for each Bn transported count escorts as:
CL - 1 Bn
CA - 3 Bn
BB - 9 Bn
However if this rule of thumb was in use within WITP, players would be hard pressed to have enough surface ships around (as was reality, IIRC, US Navy had more CAs tied to troop escort than CV Task forces up to 8/42). Now take the opening months of war - send half the British/Dutch fleet to escort reinforcements from the far east, send all RAN/RNZN cruisers to provide escort too, and keep half US CAs/CLs tied in escort service...

See whats left

[traskott]

Zero, and it's not the fighter [:D][:D].

And in game KB raids are more probably...

[Buckrock]

ORIGINAL: Barb
IIRC, US Navy had more CAs tied to troop escort than CV Task forces up to 8/42).

By the time of Coral Sea, few USN CAs in the Pacific were still regularly involved in convoy escort. Most were by then in CV TFs, a few were operating with the RAN (TF 44) and a few more would soon form part of TF 8 that would operate to protect the North Pacific.

The USN CLs had now become the main cruiser type chosen when important convoys needed escorting in the Pacific.

[m10bob]

Just a trivia tidbit...During WW2, it was common for former civilian passenger liners to steam alone, un-escorted, in a straight passage at high speed, the theory being subs could neither catch them, nor make a good torpedo attack.
My dad in law was on the USS Wakefield early in the war.
She had been the SS Manhattan, once the world speed holder for a passenger liner.
She carried troops to Singapore before the fall, took a bomb at that port, and later carries the 2ns USMC to Wellington.

The emphasis here is on the word CIVILIAN regarding the speed factor.

Later, he was aboard the USS Calloway, APA 19 (iirc), and it certainly was nowhere near as fast and always moved in convoy.