"Admiral Jellicoe, Admiral Beatty, just how does the Royal Navy intend to deal with the threat posed by the Germans' Commerce Raiding Fleet and submarine forces to our sea lanes? The Prime Minister has little patience left. Moreover, the current war situation is extremely unfavorable to the entire Allied Powers. Therefore, the Cabinet hopes that the Royal Navy can come up with a proper solution as soon as possible." Churchill looked at Admiral John Jellicoe and Vice Admiral David Beatty.
"Minister, to reduce the losses of our transport convoys, we are currently using large convoys escorted by warships. Merchant vessels assemble in the mid-Atlantic, and then the Royal Navy provides security for these gathered merchant ships. So far, the results have been fairly good. We provide each transport convoy with two to three Capital Ships. This leaves the Germans' Commerce Raiding Fleet with nowhere to sink its teeth into, ensuring that the convoys reach the British mainland safely," Admiral John Jellicoe said.
Churchill nodded. This method could indeed solve the problem. However, it forced a large number of the Royal Navy's Capital Ships to undertake convoy escort duties, which would undoubtedly weaken the Royal Navy's strength.
"If all our Capital Ships are escorting transport convoys, what will we use to deal with the Germans' High Seas Fleet?" Churchill asked.
"Minister, our number of Capital Ships is currently severely insufficient. Therefore, we can only maintain vigilance against the German High Seas Fleet. Once we discover any unusual movement from them, we will then assemble the fleet," Admiral Jellicoe said.
"No, that would be far too inefficient. Before our main fleet has completed its assembly, the German High Seas Fleet may already have launched its attack. Protecting the sea lanes and defeating the German High Seas Fleet are equally important," Churchill said.