CV32

Congrats, Enrique!

A little bit of an after action report ... * * * * * * Happy to report having completed this scenario, achieving total victory without a single loss. (Which I understand was a requirement). Did have one close call, though, when a Harpoon from the Iranian fast attack craft Joshan kept coming through a hail of SM-1MR Standards and RIM-7M Seasparrow, and was finally stopped just short of USS Merrill by a final RIM-7M shot. Phew! Thanks, Enrique. It was apparent that you put quite a bit of work into this and the historical scenario.

From F-16.net [excerpt]

The PG is such a crappy place for subs (and ships too if there are subs about!), so one wonders if they're not also thinking about the Red Sea, Arabian Sea and beyond.

That would be something, for sure.

I'm thinking poorly paid (i.e. motivated) sailors (and/or civvy yard workers?) who don't get regular training in firefighting. I think they've moved on from the HTP to a monopropellant like OTTO II, but yeah, generally nasty stuff. Some kind of chemical fire is certainly possible. The catalyst or chemical may have been something other than inside the boat?

Yes ... Though, with just six minutes of travel time over its maximum range, the SS-N-26 is not the RGM-109B TASM. That target ain't traveling far.

Some interesting comments here about USN mine countermeasures in light of recent (and evolving) events. Interview with Rear Adm James Murdoch, PEO LCS, US Navy (from DefenseNews)

On the bright side, you can take some comfort in the fact that you're extracting big value out of the S-70 airframe. We're still waiting for the S-92/CH-148 Cyclone , more than 20 years and a billion bucks later than when we should have just bought into the S-70.

Interesting (in a Chinese way ?) chart.

Giving the Oscars something like a large number of Yakhont [NATO SS-N-26 Sapless) would probably make them more lethal than ever, imho, assuming other systems (and signatures) were likewise updated. (And that's probably a big assumption).

Paint me skeptical, but I have yet to see evidence that suggests anything more than shoddy safety standards and firefighting capabilities. I think if there was a "cook off" of any torpedoes the damage to the forward section of the boat - even just to the sonar array we see exposed in some of the pictures - would have been much more serious.

In the past month or so, we've had more than a half dozen great new scenarios for HCE. Check em out! These come from a couple of the community's more prolific scenario writers, Enrique Mas and Patrick Howard, and we're fortunate and happy that they're sharing their work with the rest of us. Bravo and thanks, guys. [Enrique, thanks for making use of the 'new' Middle East battleset for your latest scenarios. Much appreciated!]

HCDB-120108 Ships/MLUs: Abdiel (1987) MCM - UK Ahmed al Fateh (TNC45/1) PTM - Bahrain Ahmed al Fateh (TNC45/2) PTM - Bahrain Ajirah LCU - Bahrain Akar (mod) AO - Turkey Albay Hakki Burak AOT - Turkey Al Jarim PG - Bahrain Al Riffa (FPB38) PG - Bahrain Appleleaf AO - UK Argus AGH - UK Ark Royal (85) CVH - UK Aydin MCM - Turkey Bacchus AK - UK Bayraktar ML - Turkey Britannia MRCH - UK Bulwark CV - UK Gelibolu (Koln) FF - Turkey C107 LCU - Turkey C139 LCU - Turkey C205 LCU - Turkey C301 LCM-8 LCM - Turkey Cakabey LST - Turkey Castle (1981) PG - UK Cezayirli (402) AXT - Turkey County (Batch 1) DDG - UK County (Batch 2) DDG - UK Diligence (82) AR - UK Diligence (91) AR - UK Dost OPV - Turkey Eddy AO - UK Edincik MCM - Turkey Endurance (80) PS - UK Endurance (91) PS - UK Ertugrul LST - Turkey Fearless (1980) LPD - UK Fearless (1985) LPD - UK Fearless (1990) LPD - UK Foca (Cove) MCM - Turkey Fort Victoria (93) AOR - UK Fort Victoria (98) AOR - UK Godetia MCM - Belgium Gurcan AOT - Turkey Hecla AGOR - UK Hermes (82) CV - UK Huchuan Type 025 PTH - Bangladesh Huchuan Type 026 PTH - Bangladesh Hunt (1989) MCM - UK Hunt (2005) MCM - UK Illustrious (82) CVH - UK Illustrious (93) CVH - UK Inebolu AOT - Turkey Invincible (89) CVH - UK Iroquois (1980) DD - Canada Iroquois (1999) DDG - Canada Iroquois (PG) DD - Canada Iskenderun AP - Turkey Island (1980) PG - UK Island (1995) PG - UK KAAN 29 PG - Turkey KAAN 33 PG - Turkey Karamursel (88) MCM - Turkey Khan Jahan Ali AO - Bangladesh Kingfisher (80) PG - UK Kraljevica PC - Bangladesh Leander 1A FF - UK Leander 1B FF - UK Leander 2A FF - UK Leander 2B FF - UK Leander 2TA FF - UK Leander 3A (81/1) FF - UK Leander 3A (81/2) FF - UK Leonard J. Cowley OPV - Canada Lyness AR - UK Mackenzie (80/1) FF - Canada Mackenzie (80/2) FF - Canada Mackenzie (DELEX/1) FF - Canada Mackenzie (DELEX/2) FF - Canada Mashtan (LCU 1466) LCU - UK Meghna (1984) PG - Bangladesh Mehmetcik (80) ML - Turkey Mordogan (80) ML - Turkey Nusret ML - Turkey Oakleaf AO - UK Osman Gazi LST - Turkey Peacock PG - UK Plumleaf AO - UK Point AK - UK Protecteur (80) AOR - Canada Protecteur (83) AOR - Canada Protecteur (91) AOR - Canada Protecteur (PG) AOR - Canada Provider AOR - Canada Reliant AVS - UK Restigouche (80) FF - Canada Restigouche (DELEX1) FF - Canada Restigouche (DELEX2) FF - Canada Retainer AE - UK River MCM - UK Round Table (80) LSL - UK Round Table (86) LSL - UK Rover (1982) AOR - UK Samsun (MSC 268) MCM - Turkey Sarucabey LST - Turkey Seymen (Adjutant) MCM - Turkey Shah Amanat LCU - Bangladesh Shah Poran (LCU 1466) LCU - Bangladesh Shanghai II Type 062 PG - Bangladesh Shapla (River/95) MCM - UK Silifke (MSC 289) MCM - Turkey Sir Caradoc (83) LST - UK Sir Galahad (87) LSL - UK Sir Galahad (91) LSL - UK Sri Inderapura LST - Malaysia SSC-5 Bastion Bty - Russia St Laurent (DELEX) FF - Canada Sultan Hisar (80) PG - Turkey Sultan Hisar (96) PG - Turkey Taskizak AOT - Turkey T-43 Type 010 (97) MCM - Bangladesh Tide (1982/1) AO - UK Tide (1982/2) AO - UK Ton (1980) MCM - UK Trabzon (Bay/80) MCM - Turkey Tripartite (2005) MCM - Belgium Type 12 Whitby FF - UK Type 12M mod (80) FF - UK Type 12M mod (82) FF - UK Type 21 (80/1) FF - UK Type 21 (80/2) FF - UK Type 21 (82/1) FF - UK Type 21 (82/3) FF - UK Type 21 (1983) FF - UK Type 21 (1985) FF - UK Type 21 (89/1) FF - UK Type 21 (89/2) FF - UK Type 21 (89/3) FF - UK Type 22/1 (80/1) FF - UK Type 22/1 (80/2) FF - UK Type 22/1 (1986) FF - UK Type 22/1 (1988) FF - UK Type 22/2 (1984) FF - UK Type 22/2 (1986) FF - UK Type 22/2 (1995) FF - UK Type 22/2 (2000) FF - UK Type 22/3 (88/1) FF - UK Type 22/3 (88/2) FF - UK Type 22/3 (2002) FF - UK Type 42A (80/1) DDG - UK Type 42A (80/2) DDG - UK Type 42A (82/1) DDG - UK Type 42A (82/2) DDG - UK Type 42A (1986) DDG - UK Type 42B (1980) DDG - UK Type 42B (82/1) DDG - UK Type 42B (82/2) DDG - UK Type 42B (1988) DDG - UK Type 42B (1995) DDG - UK Type 42B (2002) DDG - UK Type 42C (1982) DDG - UK Type 42C (1985) DDG - UK Type 42C (1989) DDG - UK Type 42C (1993) DDG - UK Type 42C (1996) DDG - UK Type 42C (2002) DDG - UK Type 42C (2003) DDG - UK Type 61 Salisbury FF - UK Type 81 (80/1) FF - UK Type 81 (80/2) FF - UK Type 82 Bristol (81) DDG - UK Type 82 Bristol (86) DDG - UK Van Speijk (80/1) FF - Netherlands Van Speijk (80/2) FF - Netherlands Yildirim (Asheville) PG - Turkey Yuchai Type 068 LCU - Bangladesh Yunus (422B) AGI - Turkey Yuzbasi Tolunay AOT - Turkey Submarines: Ojibwa (1980) SS - Canada Ojibwa (1987) SS - Canada Ojibwa (1993) SS - Canada Ojibwa (SOUP) SS - Canada Porpoise SS - UK Resolution (80) SSBN - UK Resolution (84) SSBN - UK Upholder (1990) SS - UK Upholder (1991) SS - UK Vanguard (93) SSBN - UK Vanguard (99) SSBN - UK

A new version of the official Harpoon Commander's Edition (HCE) Database (HCDB-120108) is now available. Get the new DB in the Downloads section. New additions (or overhauls of existing entries) include: Ships/MLUs: Abdiel (1987) MCM - UK Ahmed al Fateh (TNC45/1) PTM - Bahrain Ahmed al Fateh (TNC45/2) PTM - Bahrain Ajirah LCU - Bahrain Akar (mod) AO - Turkey Albay Hakki Burak AOT - Turkey Al Jarim PG - Bahrain Al Riffa (FPB38) PG - Bahrain Appleleaf AO - UK Argus AGH - UK Ark Royal (85) CVH - UK Aydin MCM - Turkey Bacchus AK - UK Bayraktar ML - Turkey Britannia MRCH - UK Bulwark CV - UK Gelibolu (Koln) FF - Turkey C107 LCU - Turkey C139 LCU - Turkey C205 LCU - Turkey C301 LCM-8 LCM - Turkey Cakabey LST - Turkey Castle (1981) PG - UK Cezayirli (402) AXT - Turkey County (Batch 1) DDG - UK County (Batch 2) DDG - UK Diligence (82) AR - UK Diligence (91) AR - UK Dost OPV - Turkey Eddy AO - UK Edincik MCM - Turkey Endurance (80) PS - UK Endurance (91) PS - UK Ertugrul LST - Turkey Fearless (1980) LPD - UK Fearless (1985) LPD - UK Fearless (1990) LPD - UK Foca (Cove) MCM - Turkey Fort Victoria (93) AOR - UK Fort Victoria (98) AOR - UK Godetia MCM - Belgium Gurcan AOT - Turkey Hecla AGOR - UK Hermes (82) CV - UK Huchuan Type 025 PTH - Bangladesh Huchuan Type 026 PTH - Bangladesh Hunt (1989) MCM - UK Hunt (2005) MCM - UK Illustrious (82) CVH - UK Illustrious (93) CVH - UK Inebolu AOT - Turkey Invincible (89) CVH - UK Iroquois (1980) DD - Canada Iroquois (1999) DDG - Canada Iroquois (PG) DD - Canada Iskenderun AP - Turkey Island (1980) PG - UK Island (1995) PG - UK KAAN 29 PG - Turkey KAAN 33 PG - Turkey Karamursel (88) MCM - Turkey Khan Jahan Ali AO - Bangladesh Kingfisher (80) PG - UK Kraljevica PC - Bangladesh Leander 1A FF - UK Leander 1B FF - UK Leander 2A FF - UK Leander 2B FF - UK Leander 2TA FF - UK Leander 3A (81/1) FF - UK Leander 3A (81/2) FF - UK Leonard J. Cowley OPV - Canada Lyness AR - UK Mackenzie (80/1) FF - Canada Mackenzie (80/2) FF - Canada Mackenzie (DELEX/1) FF - Canada Mackenzie (DELEX/2) FF - Canada Mashtan (LCU 1466) LCU - UK Meghna (1984) PG - Bangladesh Mehmetcik (80) ML - Turkey Mordogan (80) ML - Turkey Nusret ML - Turkey Oakleaf AO - UK Osman Gazi LST - Turkey Peacock PG - UK Plumleaf AO - UK Point AK - UK Protecteur (80) AOR - Canada Protecteur (83) AOR - Canada Protecteur (91) AOR - Canada Protecteur (PG) AOR - Canada Provider AOR - Canada Reliant AVS - UK Restigouche (80) FF - Canada Restigouche (DELEX1) FF - Canada Restigouche (DELEX2) FF - Canada Retainer AE - UK River MCM - UK Round Table (80) LSL - UK Round Table (86) LSL - UK Rover (1982) AOR - UK Samsun (MSC 268) MCM - Turkey Sarucabey LST - Turkey Seymen (Adjutant) MCM - Turkey Shah Amanat LCU - Bangladesh Shah Poran (LCU 1466) LCU - Bangladesh Shanghai II Type 062 PG - Bangladesh Shapla (River/95) MCM - UK Silifke (MSC 289) MCM - Turkey Sir Caradoc (83) LST - UK Sir Galahad (87) LSL - UK Sir Galahad (91) LSL - UK Sri Inderapura LST - Malaysia SSC-5 Bastion Bty - Russia St Laurent (DELEX) FF - Canada Sultan Hisar (80) PG - Turkey Sultan Hisar (96) PG - Turkey Taskizak AOT - Turkey T-43 Type 010 (97) MCM - Bangladesh Tide (1982/1) AO - UK Tide (1982/2) AO - UK Ton (1980) MCM - UK Trabzon (Bay/80) MCM - Turkey Tripartite (2005) MCM - Belgium Type 12 Whitby FF - UK Type 12M mod (80) FF - UK Type 12M mod (82) FF - UK Type 21 (80/1) FF - UK Type 21 (80/2) FF - UK Type 21 (82/1) FF - UK Type 21 (82/3) FF - UK Type 21 (1983) FF - UK Type 21 (1985) FF - UK Type 21 (89/1) FF - UK Type 21 (89/2) FF - UK Type 21 (89/3) FF - UK Type 22/1 (80/1) FF - UK Type 22/1 (80/2) FF - UK Type 22/1 (1986) FF - UK Type 22/1 (1988) FF - UK Type 22/2 (1984) FF - UK Type 22/2 (1986) FF - UK Type 22/2 (1995) FF - UK Type 22/2 (2000) FF - UK Type 22/3 (88/1) FF - UK Type 22/3 (88/2) FF - UK Type 22/3 (2002) FF - UK Type 42A (80/1) DDG - UK Type 42A (80/2) DDG - UK Type 42A (82/1) DDG - UK Type 42A (82/2) DDG - UK Type 42A (1986) DDG - UK Type 42B (1980) DDG - UK Type 42B (82/1) DDG - UK Type 42B (82/2) DDG - UK Type 42B (1988) DDG - UK Type 42B (1995) DDG - UK Type 42B (2002) DDG - UK Type 42C (1982) DDG - UK Type 42C (1985) DDG - UK Type 42C (1989) DDG - UK Type 42C (1993) DDG - UK Type 42C (1996) DDG - UK Type 42C (2002) DDG - UK Type 42C (2003) DDG - UK Type 61 Salisbury FF - UK Type 81 (80/1) FF - UK Type 81 (80/2) FF - UK Type 82 Bristol (81) DDG - UK Type 82 Bristol (86) DDG - UK Van Speijk (80/1) FF - Netherlands Van Speijk (80/2) FF - Netherlands Yildirim (Asheville) PG - Turkey Yuchai Type 068 LCU - Bangladesh Yunus (422B) AGI - Turkey Yuzbasi Tolunay AOT - Turkey Submarines: Ojibwa (1980) SS - Canada Ojibwa (1987) SS - Canada Ojibwa (1993) SS - Canada Ojibwa (SOUP) SS - Canada Porpoise SS - UK Resolution (80) SSBN - UK Resolution (84) SSBN - UK Upholder (1990) SS - UK Upholder (1991) SS - UK Vanguard (93) SSBN - UK Vanguard (99) SSBN - UK This is a large update. Enjoy.

The Harriers are gone and the Royal Navy has begun investing in EMALS. With the budgets as tight as they are, I can't see them doing anything but trying to share designs and deployments with the USN if they want to retain any conventional aircraft carrier capability.

From AOL Defense [excerpt]

From DefenseNews [excerpt]

From DefenseNews [excerpt] Direct link to Sustaining US Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense, January 2012 (PDF)

Me too, but with the amount of traffic passing through the Hormuz daily, much of it military and civilian alike, I wouldn't bet on anyone spotting mine laying until it is too late. As the article did mention, even the suggestion of potential minefields might be enough. Let alone actual mines.

Greg, your ongoing naval news summaries are a great addition to the forums and appreciated by the membership (as some have already mentioned), including myself. I think it would be best, however, for the sake of forum functionality and ease of reference, that you create a single thread for the summaries and then add to that single thread with any new entries that you might have. Oh, and wherever possible, please provide links to the sources of the information provided, both so that folks can follow up with items of interest and so that we try to avoid copyright issues. Please and thanks.

The hole in the hull exposes the sonar array, but it doesn't look like it was cut cleanly, as one might expect from ongoing maintenance on the boat. It may have been removed as a result of damage sustained by an external fire. It is impossible to tell from the second photo, showing the actual fire, whether the blaze is coming from inside the boat or is just burning of the anechoic tiles on the outside of the hull. Btw, Greg, please post links to the source of any information gathered from external sites.

I appreciate what you're saying, and I'm also inclined to question the increased propensity (or at least a perception of same) to hand out medals. That said, I'm not sure being shot down over 'enemy' territory by a SAM and then held in prison for two years doesn't qualify as 'gallantry in action' or, for lack of a better term, 'combat'.

From Chicago Tribune [excerpt] CV32: Could Iran take and hold onto sea control in the Hormuz for more than a short period? Unlikely. Could they close it for more than a "handful of days"? Oh, I think so, and the 'analysis' here is a tad deficient, imho. Indeed it would have severe, perhaps catastrophic, results for Iran. But rational or logical strategy hasn't always been a key tenet of Iranian political-military action, afaik. It would depend on the definition of "closed", of course, but I think the Hormuz could be made untenable for merchant (i.e. tanker) traffic for more than a handful of days. How? Mines. Sea mines require no command & control once laid, no comms traffic, no link with Tehran and its leadership. They don't shy away from combat, and they don't run scared when faced with 'shock and awe'. They just wait. And once the first tanker starts to sink and spill its million gallons of crude into the Hormuz, chaos will reign. Neither the petrochemical companies, Lloyds of London, or the tanker crews will be anxious to send another through until the mines have been cleared. And I'm betting that would take more than a "handful of days".

From Reuters [excerpt]