Formations

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Formations
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Lesson Overview

• Formation Maneuvering Terms
• Formation Types
• Line
• Circular
• Line Formations
• Maneuvering
• Shifts of the Guide
• Exchange of Station

• Circular Formations
• Stationing
• Maneuvering
• Axis Rotation
• Screens
• Sector
• Maneuvering Rules

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Formation and Maneuvering Terms

• Ship
• Small Ship
• ship less than 450ft long (MCM, MHC, PC)
• Large Ship
• ship longer than 450ft (all others)
• Formation
• ordered arrangement of two or more ships

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Formation andManeuvering Terms

• Disposition
• ordered arrangement of two or more formations
• Main Body
• principle ships of a formation
• Screen
• ships protecting the main body

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Formation andManeuvering Terms
DD
DDG
CVN
AOE
CG
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Formation andManeuvering Terms

• Guide
• the ship on which all other ships keep station
• Station
• the prescribed location of a ship in a formation
  in reference to a guide

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Formation andManeuvering Terms
DD
DDG
CVN
AOE
Stations
CG
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Formation andManeuvering Terms

• Base course
• the intended reference course of the formation
• Speed
• Base - intended reference speed
• Stationing - used when changing station
• Maximum - highest speed a ship is capable

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Formation andManeuvering Terms

• Standard Distance - the distance between two
  ships
• small ships - 500yds
• large ships - 1000yds
• small and large ships - 1000yds

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Formation andManeuvering Terms
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Formation andManeuvering Terms

• Tactical Diameter
• the diameter of the half circle made by a ship
  executing a 180 turn using a constant rudder
  angle.
• Final Diameter
• the diameter of the full circle made by a ship
  executing a 360 turn using a constant rudder
  angle.

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Formation andManeuvering Terms
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Formation andManeuvering Terms

• Tactical Diameter - dependent on
• ship type
• ship speed
• rudder angle

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Formation andManeuvering Terms

• Standard Tactical Diameter - the tactical
  diameter described by the ship when using
• standard speed and
• standard rudder

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Formation andManeuvering Terms

• Reduced Tactical Diameter
• used for emergency turns or for turns of
  unspecified amounts

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Formation andManeuvering Terms
Tactical Diameter

• Formation
• Carriers
• Large Ships
• Small Ships

Reduced 1,500yds 1,000yds 600yds
Standard 2,500yds 1,200yds 800yds
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Formation Types

• 2 Types of Formations
• Line
• Circular

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Line Formations
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Line Formations

• 4 Basic Types
• Column
• Line Abreast
• Line of Bearing
• Diamond
• variations of the above

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Column

• Easiest formation
• Formed in a line of bearing ahead or astern of
  the guide.
• Used to transit restricted waters

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Column

• Column

• Loose Column

Column Open Order
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2
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Line Abreast

• Formed in a line of bearing abeam of the guide
• Used for searches

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Line Abreast

• Line Abreast

• Loose Line Abreast

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Line of Bearing

• Formed in either a relative or true bearing from
  the guide other than ahead, astern, or abeam.

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Line of Bearing

• Line of Bearing

• Loose Line of Bearing

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Diamond

• Provides additional maneuvering room without
  increasing length of the formation
• Increases mutual anti-aircraft fire

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Diamond
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ManeuveringLine Formations
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Maneuvering

• A change of course, speed, formation, or any
  combination of these, made by a ship to adjust
  position or to take a new position.

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Maneuvering

• 3 different movements
• Turn (change of course and formation)
• Corpen (change of course)
• Formation (change of formation)

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Turn

• Each ship turns simultaneously on signal.
• Ships stay on the original true bearing from the
  guide.
• Can be done from any formation.
• Drill Analogy (flanking movement)

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Turn

• Column

Line Abreast
TRUE bearing to the guide remains the same.
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Turn (Column)
r1
r2
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Turn (Line Abreast)
r1
r2
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Corpen (Wheeling)

• Each ship changes course but the formation
  remains the same.
• Ships stay on the original relative bearing from
  the guide.
• Can be done only from column, line abreast or
  diamond.
• Drill Analogy (column movement)

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Corpen (Wheeling)
Column
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Corpen (Column)
r1
r2
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Corpen (Wheeling)
Line Abreast
RELATIVE bearing to the guide remains the same.
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Corpen (Line Abreast)
r1
r2
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Corpen (Search Turn)

• Used to maintain search area integrity
• Can be done only from line abreast
• Guide automatic shifts to the outboard ship
• Ships swap sides in relationship to the guide.

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Corpen (Search Turn)
Line Abreast
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Corpen (Search Turn)
r1
r2
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Formation

• Changes the arrangement of ships without changing
  the course of the formation.
• Used to form columns, line abreast, line of
  bearing, diamond formation.
• Drill Analogy (fall in on guide)

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Formation

• When forming or changing a formation
• the guide comes to base course and speed
• all other ships fall in on the guide.
• Who is the guide?

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Guide / Shift of the Guide

• Guide
• usually designated by the senior officer in
  tactical command
• remains the guide until another is designated or
  until a maneuver results in an automatic shift of
  the guide

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Automatic Shift of the Guide

• The guide is
• Lead ship of a column
• Last ship of a column
• Pivot ship
• Outboard ship

• When
• Forming or Wheeling a Column or Diamond
• Inverting a Column
• Wheeling a Line Abreast
• Executing a Search Turn

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Exchange of Station

• Column
• lead ship hauls to port
• rear ship hauls to starboard
• Line Abreast
• port ship takes station astern

• Line of Bearing
• rear ship takes station astern
• Inverting Column
• last ship hauls out
• other ships fall in as it passes

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Exchange of Station(Column)
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Exchange of Station(Line Abreast)
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Inverting Column
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CircularFormations
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Circular Formation

• Method of stationing ships on circles centered on
  a point called the formation center.
• The reference direction is called the formation
  axis.

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Circular Formation
Range Circles
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Stationing

• Two parts to a station
• Range from Formation Center (ZZ)
• Direction relative to the Formation Axis

Station 5220
Range
Direction
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Formation Axis 000
Station 5220
220R from Formation Axis
5 Ring (5,000 yds)
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Formation Axis 330
220R from Formation Axis
Station 5220
5 Ring (5,000 yds)
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Maneuvering

• Turn only - Can not wheel
• Course changes do not change formation axis.

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Axis Rotation

• Maximum Rotation 60
• Formation must be replotted after an axis
  rotation
• Formation rotates around guide not ZZ
• pretend ZZ is another ship
• rotate ZZ around guide and replot
• replot your station off the new ZZ
• Guide is always on station

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Screens
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Screens

• 4 Basic Types
• Sector
• Skeleton
• Helicopter Windline
• Departure/Entry

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Sector Screen

• Defines your station in relationship to the guide
  as an area instead of a point.
• Easier on the escorts
• Must actively patrol the sector
• No formation axis.

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Stationing

• Two parts to a station
• Direction relative to True North
• Range from Formation Center (ZZ)

Station 0307-0407
Left
Right
Inner
Outer
Boundary in tens of degrees from true north
Range in hundreds of yards from ZZ
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030T
Station 0307-0407
070T
4,000 yds
7,000 yds
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ManeuveringRules
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Maneuvering Rules

• avoid other ships that have right of way
• ships engaged in
• minesweeping
• flight operations, or
• underway replenishment
• ships in the main body
• ships in the screen

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Maneuvering Rules

• avoid dipping helos by 500yds
• dont hit other ships in the formation
• avoid other ships by 1000 yds, try to pass astern

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Maneuvering Rules

• for aircraft carriers obey the 3-2-1 rule
• pass no closer than 3000 yds ahead, 2000 yds
  abeam, or 1000 yds astern
• junior ships stay clear of senior ships

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PlaneGuard
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Typical Plane Guard Station
170R
Station 2-SNX
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Plane Guard

• Law of Gross Tonnage applies here
• Aircraft Carrier 100,000 tons
• Cruiser / Destroyer 8,000 tons
• Frigate 4,000 tons

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Plane Guard

• Carriers
• sometimes forget youre back there
• may turn without warning
• the OOD may not be a salty SWO
• need the wind always know where the wind is.

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Plane Guard

• Things to remember
• you are more maneuverable than a CV
• always be alert to what the carrier is doing
• stay on outside of any turn
• whether you know it was going to turn or not
• NEVER turn inside a carrier

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Staying on outside of a turn
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Plane Guard

• If you ever have any doubt as to what a carrier
  is doing

TURN AWAY and Put the carrier on your stern
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QUESTIONS ???