Q&A ยท 10:24-10:44

Using a larger ship's wake to fight fires at sea

The Santa Cruz example illustrates an uncommon use of a larger ship's wake for firefighting.

Question

How often have ships used the wakes of larger ships to help put out fires?

Short answer

The practice was uncommon, although the Santa Cruz example was not considered unusual.

Notes

At Santa Cruz, a larger ship's wake helped fight a fire aboard another vessel. Such uses of wakes were uncommon, but the example was not considered exceptional.