Why wartime transits place extra stress on warships

Does a warship suffer more hull stress in wartime than in peacetime transit?

Usually yes: wartime brings more high-speed running, direct routing, and operations in rougher seas that would often be avoided in peace.

In war, ships make more high-speed passages because operational timing can matter more than machinery life or crew comfort. They also take direct routes and accept heavy-weather risks that a peacetime commander could avoid by adding a day to the voyage. Higher speed increases repeated loads on the hull and machinery, while rough seas impose further structural strain. These stresses accumulate even when the ship never receives enemy damage. The question reveals how urgency turns an ordinary transit into part of the material cost of combat operations. Maintenance demand therefore reflects the way a ship is employed as well as its age or design.