okay now, there is something here that needs pointing out. Unlike just about every other form of mobile military gunnery, naval guns, and naval missiles are optimized to fire to the side. The only exception is torpedoes. So if a ship (doesn't matter who's) finds its self in a 90* angle to a naval formation aligned as you described here. Said ship can potentially view themselves under threat. The naval maneuver is called crossing the T. As any ship broadside on to that formation is facing just about every gun in the formation. In the Ruso Japanese war when the Japanese sank the Czars fleet the Japanese crossed the Russian T that is they formed up in a single file line the bows of there ships being at a 90* angle to the incoming Russian fleet there arch of fire overlapping creating a kill zone. Since the introduction of naval gunfire crossing the "T" is the most fundamental of naval tactical principals. Since the only naval class in history to ever have a equal fire power distribution over its entire 360* of turn was the American Monitor class ironclad gun boats of the American civil war and that was because she only had one turret that doubled as the steering house. Out side of that the only other exception to this strategy is submarines.
now I have yet to see what happened in this case. And as such I with hold any judgment. But any ship finding itself in a crossed T has every right to try and get out of that position. getting " to close for comfort" preventing possible engagement by forcing hostile or potentially hostile ships to risk themselves in the attack is a valid possible solution if the commander of that ship feels he is indeed under threat.
think I made that up? I must work k fast.
