bearfoil;
The direction of the nose as the a/c impacted is random, undirected, and most definitely not commanded.
Sir,
The ship has a "bow" and a "stern", and when proceeding in the same direction as its "bow", the vessel is making "headway". The counter applies if proceeding in the direction of its "stern". This being the accepted case, the vessel at all times has a heading in respect of the compass rose which lies in a horizontal plane.
So, irrespective of the vessel turning to port or starboard, or spinning, the only time there is no heading with reference to our compass is when its bow and stern are respectively in line with the zenith.
Now, commanded or not, the "
en ligne de vol" provided the vessel with a heading as would be expected of any vessel "
en passage".
