"He who is master of the sea is master of world trade. And he who is master of world trade is master of the riches of the earth and of the earth itself" Sir Walter Raleigh, quoted by the former Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Navy, Admiral S.G. Gorshkov. Introduction Sir Walter Raleigh, the famous English adventurer, died three hundred and seventy years ago, but his words are just as valid today, as any television news programme on convoy operations in the Persian Gulf will show. Warships from the USA, UK, France, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands have all been involved in patrols or minesweeping operations in the area to minimize threats to their oil supplies coming from the Gulf, the main export route of nine Middle Eastern countries possessing more than half of the world's proven oil reserves.