You've got access to the shafts so that you can maneuver and navigate if your rudder is destroyed; it's possible to run just one shaft in order to turn and change course. It's slow-going, but could be the difference between being adrift and making it home.
Not sure about the batteries; it may serve a similar purpose to the shafts, in that if your diesel engines are knocked out you could run electric in order to make a quick getaway. I don't know if there's a difference in the noise, I always assumed that escorts picked up on the cavitation of your screws and not necessarily your engine noise...not confirmed, just a hunch.
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