When warships ran out of fuel

Have warships ever completely run out of fuel and needed a tow during wartime?

Probably, although records often described the episode as engine trouble, while battle damage could also make fuel unusable.

The panel jokes that an official admission would have been too embarrassing, but acknowledges ships being assisted or towed after reported engine difficulties. Some of those cases may have concealed an exhausted fuel supply. Damage that made fuel tanks or lines unusable could produce the same operational result without reflecting poor planning. Administrative language can therefore obscure the logistical cause of a casualty.