Convoy

Convoy is a group of vehicles or ships traveling together for mutual safety and efficiency. In military logistics, convoys consist of one or more lead ships or aircraft escorted by protective units, reducing the risk of attack and enabling centralized control of speed, routing, and discipline. In civilian use, road convoys move goods or people in a coordinated sequence, often with escort vehicles, traffic control, and standardized signaling.

Naval convoys were a standard method of safeguarding merchant shipping, particularly on transoceanic routes. A convoy typically included several merchant vessels escorted by warships such as destroyers, frigates, or corvettes, and sometimes by aircraft. The convoy system distributed risks, concentrated defensive resources, and allowed ships to group for repairs and resupply. Routes, speeds, and rendezvous points were managed by a convoy commodore.

Convoys date to ancient and early modern periods but became central in the 20th century. In World War I and especially World War II, convoys faced threats from submarines, aircraft, and surface raiders; improvements in anti-submarine warfare, radar, code-breaking, and air cover gradually reduced losses, contributing to Allied victory in the Battle of the Atlantic.

Beyond military use, humanitarian convoys deliver aid to besieged or disaster areas, while logistical convoys move supplies in peacetime and during emergencies. Road and rail convoys are common in large-scale commercial transportation, where temporally grouped departures improve security and scheduling efficiency.

Convoy operations continue to be employed in modern military planning and disaster relief, adapting to evolving threats and technologies.