[LonePalm]

Thus the ships making the transit are subject to extreme set and drift, especially when the tidal flow changes direction.

True but set and drift from tidal currents would act longitudinally with the canal. The threat of lateral set would be from the wind.

I sat on my Chief Operations Specialist's Enlisted Surface Warfare board. The Captain asked, "What is set and drift?" (A softball question if ever there was one.) My chief replied, "Mostly what my OSs do in Combat." Ouch, really chief?

He passed with flying colors.

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)

[The Klingon]

LOL...good one :)

[meadsjn]

I sat on my Chief Operations Specialist's Enlisted Surface Warfare board. The Captain asked, "What is set and drift?" (A softball question if ever there was one.) My chief replied, "Mostly what my OSs do in Combat." Ouch, really chief?

That obviously was not my Chief OS, nor my CIC. Some newfangled electronic CIC, perhaps.

Back in my day, if we wanted to know the range to another ship, we had to walk across the water, pulling a tape measure.