Maybe cos it left the dock stern first and had to turn around to head to sea? #Don’tTurnOnADime :)
It would have performed a maneuver mimicking 180 degrees of a minute hand moving across a watch face, from 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock, as the bow would come about, turning to starboard, as one example.
The bow is at 12 o’clock and the stern is at 6 ‘clock,
after some turning,
the bow is at 1 o’clock and the stern is at 7 o’clock,
then, the bow is at 2 o’clock and the stern is at 8 o’clock,
then, the bow is at 3 o’clock and the stern is at 9 o’clock,
then, the bow is at 4 o’clock and the stern is at 10 o’clock,
then, the bow is at 5 o’clock and the stern is at 11 o’clock,
then, the bow is at 6 o’clock and the stern is at 12 o’clock.
Now the ship is heading in the opposite direction.
12——+
-——/1
——/
-—/
—/————2
-/
/
———————3
\
-\
—\————4
-—\
——\
-——\-5
———+
6
The dock- at some point, would have been to the left of the ship’s position, in the depiction above.
The plus signs at the end of the larger dashed lines represents the bow of the ship.
12 o’clock, represents the beginning of the maneuver, and 6 o’clock represents the end of the maneuver.
A circle or Q course as originally depicted, would not put the bow and stern in opposite positions.
Use your cell phone as the ship and maneuver it through a circle, keeping the screen facing you the whole time, and you will see what I mean.
Cape Henry and the entrance to Thimble Shoal channel, where the maneuver was made are EAST of the CBB&T. The Comfort had left its berth at least 40 minutes before. There was nothing between them and the open Atlantic.
WWG1WGA
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)