page_title: Convoy
section_title: Post-World War II
hierarchical_section_title: Convoy / Naval convoys / Post-World War II
caption_attribution_description: English: A view of ships of tanker convoy No. 12 underway in the Persian Gulf on 21 October 1987. Included in the convoy were the U.S. Navy guided missile frigate USS Hawes (FFG-53), the reflagged tanker Gas King, the guided missile cruiser USS William H. Standley (CG-32) and the amphibious assault ship USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7).
context_page_description: 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. It may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas. Arriving at the scene of a major emergency with a well-ordered unit and intact command structure can be another motivation.
context_section_description: The largest convoy effort since World War II was Operation Earnest Will, the U.S. Navy's 1987–88 escort of reflagged Kuwaiti tankers in the Persian Gulf during the Iran–Iraq War.
  In the present day, convoys are used as a tactic by navies to deter pirates off the coast of Somalia from capturing unarmed civilian freighters who would otherwise pose easy targets if they sailed alone.
caption: US Navy warships escort the tanker Gas King in 1987
exif: {}