How the A-to-K scouting line screened a fleet

What did A-to-K duties mean in Royal Navy fleet doctrine?

They placed scouting ships across eleven named positions on a line ahead of the fleet, with the formation filled more or less densely according to the tactical situation.

The A-to-K label described five named positions on either side of the fleet axis and one on the centerline. These eleven stations formed a scouting line ahead of the main fleet, though commanders did not always fill every position. The extreme A and K stations would be covered, with intermediate ships assigned according to the tactical problem. A formation might use only the center and wings or place ships on either side of the center to provide mutual support against a threat on the fleet's axis.