Silent Hunter UK

I'm gradually working my way through "The Sri Lanka Incident". I've learnt that "Badgers" and "Kingfish" missiles can be a deadly combination, especially when your enemy lacks a decent CAP.

Who would be interested in a multi-player TOAW III game run at Myth-Weavers? It won't be for a while (for a start I've yet to get the game), but I'm looking at a Third World War in Europe style game. This would probably go between David & Goliath and The Sixth Battle; it'd be a shorter scenario of fixed turn length.

Live BBC feed The government have taken down the bulk of Egypt's internet; this looks like a massive crackdown.

Russian Mistrals; once we get some firmer stats for them. They'll have a taller hanger deck, which might do something to the displacement. We also might want to do a provisional T-50K; the Russians are looking at putting them on carriers.

Not quite true; we have HMS Illustrious until 2014, which is an Invincible and can carry ASW helicopters. Queen Elizabeth arrives in 2016 and can also carry ASW choppers. 2020 is the scheduled date for the second QE, the CATOBAR one. There's also HMS Ocean, which could even carry Harriers at a pinch. Admittedly, they're no substitute for the Nimrods, but we're extremely unlikely to be fighting a war against Russia this side of 2020.

There was only actually a two-year gap between the decommissioning of Ark Royal in 1978 and the entry into service of the Sea Harrier in 1980. However, the Royal Navy was pretty much an ASW force in the North Atlantic for much of the 1980s; the Invincible-class is intended for sub-hunting and lacks the air-wing for decent carrier strike in a contested ASW environment (which wasn't present in most of its operations). It was the modified Centaur-class Hermes (now India's Viraat) that did most of the work in Operation Corporate. As for the pilots: some of them are retiring or going to desk jobs; some into rotary wing (which they're trained for anyway); some are going to be doing exchange tours on the Superbug to ensure currency on carrier ops for 2020.

I can't find the save. I guess there's a reason for the 1.32A and so I'll start with another scenario in that version.

I've just finished watching The Sinking of the Laconia, a dramatisation of the events surrounding the sinking of a cruise liner turned troop transport by a German U-Boat in 1942. I don't know if you've heard the story, but it's described here. An interesting lesser known story from the Second World War. The dramatisation was very good with excellent production values, but honestly was about ten minutes too long.

Very interesting. Here's how Brad's forces fared in terms of survival. A pretty good result, considering they took out one US carrier and damaged two others. Any particular memories you'd like to share?

You were in that, Brad, correct?

Probably best to ask Clash of Arms themselves; they currently publish Harpoon.

1.32 Part One Cyprus: HDS II MEDC After playing about with advanced SAM systems and carriers with enough planes for a small air force, this next scenario was a major step down in capabilities. First to set the scene. In 1974, after the Greek military junta deposed the civilian government of Cyprus, Turkey (another nation prone to military involvement in politics), invaded the strategically important island. The result was a Turkish occupation of the northern third of the island, a country being created that only Ankara recognises and an unresolved diplomatic situation that impacts duty free allowances in the EU. This scenario, set in 1994, explores a possible attempt by Greece to take back the island. I have a pre-programmed course for a group of Jason-class LSTs (this apparently can vary each time the scenario is loaded), which I can't really touch. My air assets are limited in quantity and to be honest quality. I have only eleven fixed-wing aircraft, all shore based, and a single ASW helicopter in the amphib group (henceforth designated ACS). The shore-based aircraft are a bunch of F-104 Starfighters with two Sidewinders and A-7 Corsairs with iron bombs (the scenario designer said not to change the loadouts to give the A-7s stand-off weapons as it would break the scenario balance). Greece has not been at the forefront of military technology for over two millennia. I have one Type 209 submarine with Harpoons in its tubes. This might be handy. The ships are an even ruder awakening; on both sides. Most of them are hit-and-sink missile boats, FRAM destroyers from the Second World War and the aforementioned LSTs which are literally just ships with tanks inside. No Harrier carriers for me; most of my ships don't even have SAMs. Then there's the MEKO 200s, which appear on both sides. This German design is probably the best surface platform of the scenario, but it's just a frigate with SSMs and 16 Sea Sparrows. It's better than nothing, but it's not going to stand up to concentrated attack. I decide to keep my forces on their pre-set courses as the game begins, then made some minor sensor tweaks (although ACS stayed EMCON A). I rapidly get a contact; a large surface group north of Cyprus including a Sumner-class destroyer. These will need to be dealt with and I decide to initiate an airstrike to hit at the same time as my submarine attacks. As I start to launch my aircraft, I find that three of my F-104s lacked enough range to reach the target. I decided to use these as ground-based CAP, to be launched to intercept inbounds on my airbases. The rest headed for the ships. As they started to form up for the strike, my ground radars detected a Turkish fighter, probably an F-5E Tiger II. I scrambled the Starfighters to intercept. At around the same time, I detected a helicopter with my submarine and decided to launch my Harpoons as I was probably detected (I probably wasn't). The two Harpoons were both, rather amazingly, shot down before they could hit their targets. Consecutively with this, ACS got painted with active radar and I switched on my radars after staff advice. In the Maverick/Sea Sparrow exchange that ensued, the Turks lost three Tigers for one hit on a LST that didn't do any real damage. Not a good exchange ratio. The air-to-air F-104s went to military power then re-heat, making an intercept on the Turkish attackers, launching their measly six AIM-9Ls and missing with all of them. This caused the Turk to turn and run. A result of sorts. I detected a Berk frigate south of ACS during this and lobbed three Harpoons at it. This sunk the vessel and the Israeli (I think) national anthem played. I moved my submarine closer to the Turkish group and launched torpedoes as the airstrike closed in. I failed to factor in a run-time; it would take an hour in game time to reach the target. The air strike was a disaster. SAMs took out all of my aircraft bar one A-7, which destroyed two patrol boats with iron bombs. I thought a frigate was out of SAMs and sent the A-7 to drop some more 500-lb bombs on it. Turns out it still had some. I should have put in the AG in at low level and gone after the weaker Sumner with the A-7. Give me Harpoons! Still, those were two missile boats out of the equation. (to be continued, if I can get the saved game back)

Lovely, thanks.

There's some great further updates on here.

Playing 1.32 at the moment and I can't seem to find the saved game...

Nope. Could we please add it at some point soon?

Is J-15 in there?

A comment from a guy at RUSI (British think-tank)

I see considerable merit in it. There might also be a place for hypothetical indigenous PLAN carriers, once we get an idea of any design capabilities.

Rest In Peace.

I haven't found these issues at all... See you later!

Excellent points, Brad.

Thanks for posting these.

Been a bit busy, but I'll try and get one of these done in the couple of weeks.

This is an unmitigated PR disaster for the US Navy; when the BBC carries this story on its website, you know you've got a major story. This guy should have known better.