It's not uncommon for tankers to fuel each other. The rigid boom refuelling system used by the Americans is unforgiving of mistakes, so I suspect one crew has made an error and the boom has hit … (View Post)

It's extremely difficult to get shipping through the strait in the face of hostile fire, given how narrow it is. The Atlantic convoys are not relevant, a better comparison would be the convoys t… (View Post)

This is a lesson we have to keep re-learning, unfortunately. Ships and aircraft have always been vulnerable in base - see Taranto, Pearl Harbor, the Kronstadt raid, operation Bodenplatte, etc. Keepin… (View Post)

Starmer may have the misfortune to be in power when multiple mistakes made by previous administrations start coming home to roost. The state of the Royal Navy is the current one, but you're righ… (View Post)

Warships require a fair bit of maintenance, but the RN's availability rates are so terrible because there isn't enough money. If a ship needs major maintenance there will often not be enoug… (View Post)