Even if the privateer found a convoy and the wind was favourable for an attack, it could still hope to capture only a handful of ships before the rest managed to escape, and a small escort of warships could easily thwart it. Ships sailing in convoy presented a much smaller target: a convoy was as hard to find as a single ship. When merchant ships sailed independently, a privateer could cruise a shipping lane and capture ships as they passed. The most enduring system of convoys were the Spanish treasure fleets, that sailed from the 1520s until 1790. Some convoys contained several hundred merchant ships. īy the French Revolutionary Wars of the late 18th century, effective naval convoy tactics had been developed to ward off pirates and privateers. The use of organized naval convoys dates from when ships began to be separated into specialist classes and national navies were established. Naval convoys have been in use for centuries, with examples of merchant ships traveling under naval protection dating to the 12th century.
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