A dock-equipped command ship could help rearm uncrewed vessels

A future command ship could resemble Albion, Bulwark, or a Bay-class vessel, with missiles, hangars, and a dock for recovering uncrewed craft. Bringing those craft inside would provide a place to rearm them with the equipment needed to handle missiles. Work on replenishing vertical launch systems at sea helped justify smaller magazines late in the Cold War, but that development effort stopped and loaded cells became the practical limit on a ship's missile supply. Recent American experiments are described as transferring a special loading module onto the receiving ship, using it above the launchers, and then returning it to the supply ship. Delicate missiles, crane handling, and the time needed for the operation limit the weather in which it could work. Keeping the ships close together also restricts manoeuvring and parts of their defensive coverage, increasing their vulnerability during replenishment.