 From early 1942 Tirpitz posed a significant threat to the Allied convoys transporting supplies through the Norwegian Sea to the Soviet Union . Operating from fjords on the Norwegian coast , the battleship was capable of overwhelming the close @-@ escort forces assigned to the Arctic convoys or breaking out into the North Atlantic . To counter this threat , the Allies were forced to keep a powerful force of warships with the British Home Fleet , and capital ships accompanied most convoys part of the way to the Soviet Union . 
