Definitely not a grog-inspired line! The manoeuvre is called the 'Pinwheel' or 'Windmill' and I have heard of it done by prop aircraft but not jets. In the early 1980s. the 20,000 tonne Australian carrier HMAS
Melbourne was docked by, ISTR, 6 Grumman Trackers on a boiling hot day when Melbourne tugboats were on strike. The aircraft were lashed down at opposite ends and the crews set power according to orders from the bridge. There is a first hand account of it in this book:
https://melbournebooks.com.au/produc...ten-in-the-sky
There is a fictional account of a Windmill in one of James Mitchener's shorter books,
The Bridges at Toko Ri, which would indicate that it was in use by the USN. Also portrayed in the movie.
The exercise was not popular among the squadrons due to the prospect of overheating engines but being the navy, the ship always came first.