As a former big deck sailor, this is very common among ships of different sizes. UNREP (Underway Replenishment) isn’t a exact science and I as a simple E-4 had to order the George Washington and Arctic to conduct an emergency breakaway as I saw both ships drawing during a aviation refueling op off Florida.
I was got screamed at by a dozen or more officers and senior enlisted, who wanted to run me up the flag pole. The old Man with 2 stars put a end to that with a few colorful adjectives and Bravo Zulu to me for quick thinking.
In South Atlantic, you tend to have allot of cross currents and then there is the vortexes that both ships create on their own.
Thanks for the perspective of experience.
I’m curious why the ships don’t stop for these operations (other than that would make them sitting ducks in wartime).
Is it easier to control the ships while moving then while stopped? Or is it considered practice for wartime maneuvering.
IIRC, when uboats needed replenishment at sea they were stopped during WWII, but that’s a different animal and a different era.
I’m glad you were there to do the right thing, and I’m glad a decent senior leader commended you for that.
I think people can get too fast and loose with what seems “normal” and not hold the occasion to the rigor it should have always had.