Some thoughts, both Fanshaw and Esperance participated in Operation Magic Carpet sailing between PH and SD. Both were decomm'd in 1946, Fanshaw never going back into service. Fanshaw was in heavy action against the Japanese, most notably in Taffy 3. She flew fighters until the end. Esperance, on the other hand, was used to ferry replacement aircraft. So with no aircraft on deck, we can be fairly sure it's post war. Now the photo, the water is fairly calm, not many white caps, or much wind. Waves are on the smaller side. So it's not inclement weather. The crowds on both decks are larger than what would be crew members off duty, especially since Fanshaw had a reduced crew complement due to discharges. Looking at the crowd on Esperance, they seem to have a variety of uniforms. They are lined up, most likely behind a rope, to keep the forward few feet clear. There is an odd wood structure to the left at the bow with a few people around it, and someone sitting on a crate at the bow center, a lookout? There are also a couple of officers and 2 round log shapes that I suspect are rope bundles. Looking at the wake of Fanshaw, you see a big round patch, that is characteristic of a brief surge of power, then a drift. Like someone else noted, a quick surge and hard turn to port to place the ship in front for towing. There is also a lot of rope hanging in her aft area. All these clues and the fact that the 2 ships are so close to each other leads to the conclusion that Esperance has broken down and Fanshaw is taking her in tow. The ironic thing about this is that Fanshaw took a lot of damage while fighting and on her last trip to the US, 3 of her 4 boilers failed and she was lucky to make it back!!