Final answer:
The convoy system thwarted German submarines from sinking allied ships effectively, ensuring safe passage for supplies and troops across the Atlantic and neutralizing the initial U-boat threat during World War I.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Convoy System and German Submarines
Due to the convoy system, German submarines didn’t succeed in sinking allied ships at the rate they did at the beginning of the war. The convoy system involved grouping many ships together, escorted by destroyers equipped with depth charges and later enhanced with sonar technology. The effectiveness of sonar and the convoy system led to US warships destroying more German U-boats than the German factories could produce, which in turn played a crucial role in maintaining the flow of American supplies to Britain and Russia during World War I. Meanwhile, America also increased its ship production dramatically, with the creation of Liberty ships that surpassed German capabilities.
The convoy system guaranteed the safe arrival of US troops to Europe, which started on June 26, 1917, when 15,000 soldiers disembarked for Europe. This transportation of troops disproved Germany's calculated risk, as it failed to limit the shipment of American goods and personnel significantly, and heralded the advanced delivery of an American army to Europe. In this way, the convoy system neutralized the advantage German submarines had enjoyed earlier in the war.