[JScones]

To explain what I mean by documents detailing rules, here's a snippet of some of the stuff I have - this covers the Australian coastal convoy system.

On 4th June [1942] the Naval Board suspended merchant ship sailings from all ports between Adelaide and Brisbane, excepting Adelaide-Melbourne and Melbourne-Tasmania traffic. Coastal convoys were instituted on 8th June with the sailing of convoy "CO.1" (Newcastle-Melbourne) of nine ships escorted by H.M.A. Ships Arunta and Kalgoorlie, and convoy "GP.1" (Sydney-Brisbane) of five ships escorted by U .S .S . Selfridge' and H.M.A.S. Rockhampton. In brief, the convoy system then instituted was as follows. On the main coastal routes ships of over 1,200 tons and less than 12 knots were sailed in convoys "CO" (Newcastle-Melbourne) and "OC" (Melbourne-Newcastle); "PG" (Brisbane-Sydney) and "GP" (Sydney-Brisbane). With the exception of "OC" convoys, all had a minimum of two anti-submarine escorts, and anti-submarine air cover was provided*. Ships of less than 1,200 tons sailed independently on inshore routes, and ships faster than 12 knots also sailed independently. All ships sailing independently were instructed to zigzag when within 200 miles of the coast except when navigating inside the Barrier Reef. Ships of less than 12 knots east-bound trans-Tasman from Sydney were escorted in convoy for 200 miles from the New South Wales coast; those over 12 knots sailed independently. Ships under 12 knots east-bound trans-Tasman from Melbourne proceeded in "OC" convoys until north of latitude 36 degrees 30 minutes south, thence on independent routes; those of over 12 knots sailed independently west and south of Tasmania.

*Initial escort vessels allocated were: Melbourne—HMAS Moresby; Sydney—HMA Ships Bingera, Doomba, Rockhampton, Yandra, Whyalla, Kybra, Arunta, Kalgoorlie, and HMIS Bombay; Brisbane—two destroyers nominated by C.T .F. 44. There were other convoy designations, i.e.: "LQ" Brisbane-Gladstone; "S QL" Gladstone - Brisbane; "TD" Thursday Island-Darwin; "DT " Darwin-Thursday Island; BV" Brisbane - Townsville; "VB" Townsville-Brisbane; "TN" Townsville-New Guinea; "NT" New Guinea - Townsville. The foregoing list does not include various short-term coastal series. During 1942 a total of 1,672 ships were included in 252 convoys, these being as follows with numbers of convoys and ships respectively following convoy designations: "OC " convoys, 57-533; "CO" convoys, 58-605; "GP" convoys, 29-152; "PG" convoys, 29-99; Queensland coastal, 38-116; mainland-New Guinea, 41-167.

And further:

Admiral Royle, at the Advisory War Council meeting of 9th February [1943], said that if the submarine position on the Australian coast became acute, the number of surface escorts per convoy would have to be increased by decreasing the number of convoys. This was now done, and on 13th May he told the Council that, following representations by the Shipping Control Board and the Department of Commerce, it had been decided to revert to double convoys, each of which would be provided with four escort vessels, "the maximum protection that could be provided with present resources".

I should stress that prior to this date convoys were quite lightly protected for a number of obvious reasons.

Escorted convoys in the Persian region were instituted in Sep 1942 and in the sub-continental region in Sep 1943, after the Allies learnt of the U-boat incursion. Although...

Admiral Somerville thereupon discontinued convoys from 12th December [1943], with the exception of Bombay-Colombo and Colombo-Calcutta sailings.

It's interesting to read the Allied side of the Monsun operation - the data gathering/intelligence and response, of which the above is merely a short snippet.

This is all prolly way too much detail for what you had in mind, but it's an indication of how far you can go...and this doesn't even scratch the surface.