Older ships sometimes sacrificed launcher cells for equipment intended to support at-sea reloads, but moving missiles between ships is easier than inserting them into a vertical launcher. Even a large carrier needs gantries, cranes and considerable crew effort to reload smaller missiles, and the launcher is temporarily out of action. Sea state, limited deck space and the hazards of bringing suspended weapons close to sensors further restrict the operation. Magazine capacity is therefore a logistics question rather than a simple inventory number.
Chapter · 40:14-45:14
Why reloading vertical launch cells at sea is so difficult
At-sea missile replenishment is possible in theory but constrained by deck space, cranes, sea state, safety and the time a launcher is unavailable.