Critical examinations are reported for the effects of wave stretching
on realistic representations of the wave forces that act on offshore s
tructures. Examinations are also made for the, importance of such effe
cts on the corresponding structural responses, and it is demonstrated
that the effects of stretching on the governing wave forces and the re
sulting structural responses are small, indicating that they can be ig
nored in design practice. Valuable insight is further provided into th
e definition of the wave excitation, and physical interpretations are
made which show that the actions of stretching cannot materially influ
ence the governing excitation and the corresponding structural respons
e.