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File Name: Al Madinah Attack and Makin Island Operations, January 30, 2017. Hypothetical/Historical Scenario. File Submitter: broncepulido File Submitted: 06 Feb 2017 File Category: Middle East Al Madinah Attack and Makin Island Operations, January 30, 2017. Hypothetical/Historical Scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the EC2003 The Middle East Battleset and the new HCDB2-170207 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with advanced Scenario Editor and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later. Image: Amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD-8) under way off the coast of Southern California with the embarked 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Sept. 5, 2011. DoD photo by Gunnery Sgt. Scott Dunn, U.S. Marine Corps/Released, and took from Wikipedia Commons. This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/Saudi/US and Allies side or from the Red/Houthi Rebels and Allies side. You should play a few times first the Blue/Saudi/US and Allies side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red/Houthi Rebels and Allies side. With the world on the brink of an open war after four years of impending Second Cold War, just pending the take of possession and first days of mandate of Donald Trump from January, 20, 2017, another repeated point of naval operations interest popped-up again, diverting in the headlines the situation in Eastern Ukraine, with a new intensification of the Russian operations supporting with GRAD rockets bombardment the separatist actions from 31 January 2017 in the Avdiivka sector. After in October 1, 2016, the ex Incat-built very fast (and lightly built) catamaran transport ex Swift (HSV-2), operated by the United Arab Emirates' National Marine Dredging Company (and probably employed in some special operations activities) was attacked and badly damaged by a Houthi Rebels shore-launched C-801 or C-802 anti-ship missile, fired from the coasts of the convolute civil war Yemen, in the Red Sea near the Bad-el-Mandeb strait. The next weeks, on 9 and 12 October 2016 USS Mason (DDG-87) detected and shoot-down or deflects with decoys other attacking missiles. In retaliation, on October 13, 2016, USS Nizte (DDG-94) launched five cruise missiles against Houthis' mobile surface search radars near Ras Isa, North of Mukha, and near Khoka, neutralizing them (Probably of the Russian type Cape-M1E). At last on October 15, 2016, USS Mason detected another last but unconfirmed anti-ship missile attack from the Yemen shore. Also present in the zone were USS San Antonio (LPD-17) and USS Ponce (AFSB(I)-15), equipped with the first experimental and operational shipborne defensive LaWS laser (weapon not yet represented in the simulation). After those events, on January 28, 2017, the fist military operation of the Trump Administration obtained mixed results. A MV-22B tiltrotor raid of SEAL Team 6 operating from USS Makin Island (LHD-8), to capture computers and associated intelligence from AQAP in Houthi territory, Yemen, goes partly wrong, and a MV-22B and the life of Chief Petty Officer William "Ryan" Owens were lost. Also present in the theatre is USS Cole (DDG-67), damaged in the 2000 Al-Qaeda bombing when in the very near port of Aden, and now updated with SM-3 and Ballistic Missile Defence capabilities. Later, on January 30, 2017, an Al-Madinah-class Saudi frigate was attacked and damaged probably by a Houthi suicide boat off Al Hudaydah, Houthi Yemen. This scenario speculates with those elements. The Saudi and US ships should cross Bab-el-Mandeb strait avoiding losses and keeping presence in the zone, blocking the Houthi access to sea lanes and its own enemy shores. Houthi and other Shiite forces should neutralize the enemy ships, trying to multiply his actions through propaganda if any opposition ship is sunk. The historical actions and ships placement are compressed in a shorter period of time. Enrique Mas, February 5, 2017. Click here to download this file

File Name: Indian Submarine Incursion 2016. Hypothetical/Historical Scenario. File Submitter: broncepulido File Submitted: 06 Dec 2016 File Category: IOPG Indian Submarine Incursion 2016. Hypothetical/Historical Scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the IOPG Battleset and the new HCDB2-161204 1980-2025 era Platform Database (But because the limited employed units, it's also playable with the old HCDB- 1980-2015 era Platform Database). This simple and introductory but historical accurate scenario is designed with advanced Scenario Editor and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later. Image:An Indian Shishumar-class submarine on 29 July 2006, a German-designed and build conventional diesel-electric submarine, of the successful and widely exported Type 209/1500 model. Indian Navy official photo, took from Wikipedia Commons. This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/Indian side or from the Red/Pakistani side. You should play a few times first the Blue/Indian side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red/Pakistani side. After the Second Cold War originated middle in the second presidential term of Vladimir Putin from May 2012, starting in 2014 and in the successive years the world was full of naval, military and security incidents. Some were related with the Second Cold War, others not. Between those last ones the supposed Indian submarine incursion near the Pakistani shores in 14 November 2016, detected and repealed by the Pakistani Navy, was one of the most worrying. The incident was denounced by Pakistan and denied by India, and probably involved a conventional Indian diesel-electric submarine executing intelligence operations. The incident was not clear because apparently was buried in the media and forgotten few days later. At time of building this scenario no other news were released on the matter. A short list to remember them, mostly as result of President of Russia Vladimir Putin (ex-KGB lieutenant colonel) actions, provoking in succession the Crimea, Ukraine, Donetsk, Baltic States, October 2014 Swedish submarine incursion, G-20 Brisbane meeting naval crisis, November 2014 Faslane submarine incident, frigate Yaroslav Mudryy February "Channel Dash", April 2015 Finnish submarine incursion (for many observers causing the pre-mobilization of Finland reserve forces), Russian intervention in Syria from 30 September 2015, violation by Russian military helicopters of the Finnish and Georgian borders on 10 December 2015, March 2016 detection by the French of a Russian submarine near Bay of Biscay, violation by Russian military helicopters of the Polish border on 18 April 2016, the confuse Russian submarine B-265 Krasnodar incident with Polish warships (and the consecutive Putin sack of Russian Baltic Fleet numerous commanders), the HMS Montrose confuse and dangerous encounter with the new Baltic Sea Fleet Russian corvette Soobrazitelnyy in middle of the BALTOPS 2016 exercise in June 2016, the failed (in relation to carrier-based air strike operations) deployment of the Russian Northern Fleet Admiral Kuznetsov CVBG near the coasts of Syria from 4 November 2016 and the successive incident with a stalking Dutch submarine on 9 November, and with constant and multiple overflies with military warplanes entangled in potential incidents with commercial and military flights in Europe. That without counting with other unrelated naval incidents, just as the Iranian seizure of the Maersk Tigris in 28 April 2015, or the mid-October 2016 launching of anti-ship missiles against UAE and US warships from the Yemen shores and the successive retaliation with cruise missiles by US forces (and neither counting in landlocked actions, as the continuous counter-Daesh operations in Middle East). And all those incidents without counting those more towards Far East with China as a less perceived and growing problem, and his own many types generated incidents. China was building structures with military capabilities, including from 2012 more relevant structures, as the 3000+ meters long (Very Large Airport in Harpoon parameters) runway in Fiery Cross Reef (finished at March 2016), and more important, building multiple artificial reefs and islands above previous simple shoals for claiming territory, and for. At last in an undetermined date late April 2015 China claims as territorial waters the 12 nautical miles circling his "new" islands. As the US official doctrine is Freedom of Navigation (FON) worldwide on international waters (same in the Baltic and Black Seas), and as in this case with fears about a decision about not to send naval vessels into the zone would inadvertently help the Chinese build their own case for sovereignty in the area, some air and surface elements of US Navy begin to orbit near the Chinese claimed areas, but not crossing the 12 nm line surrounding the islands. Both Indian and Pakistani navies must prevail over the other, to show his resolution to control the Arabian Sea and the access to the main Pakistani ports, and to prevent the other side to overcome. Only eluding that unbalanced situation, probably directing towards a nuclear escalade, a major conflict could be avoided. Enrique Mas, December 6, 2016. Click here to download this file

File Name: BALTOPS 2015 going hot, 17-18 June 2015. Alternate History Scenario. File Submitter: broncepulido File Submitted: 04 Jul 2015 File Category: GIUK BALTOPS 2015 going hot, 17-18 June 2015. Alternate History Scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the EC2003 Battle for GIUK Gap Battleset and the HCDB-150621 1980-2015 era Platform Database. Image: HMS Ocean in BALTOPS 2015, near the landing target of Ustka, Poland. Photo by 1st Lt. Sarah E. Burns, USMC, a US servicewoman in duty, and as consequence in public domain. Taked from Wikipedia Commons. This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/NATO and partners side or from the Red/Russia side. You should play a few times first the Blue/NATO and Partners side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red/Russia side. After the naval and security incidents full year of 2014 and the not less eventful first five months of 2015 and with the World beginning the so-called Second Cold War when President of Russia Vladimir Putin (ex-KGB lieutenant colonel) provoked in succession the Crimea, Ukraine, Donetsk, Baltic States, October 2014 Swedish submarine incursion, G-20 Brisbane meeting naval crisis, November 2014 Faslane submarine incident, frigate Yaroslav Mudryy February "Channel Dash", April 2015 Finnish submarine incursion (for many observers causing the pre-mobilization of Finland reserve forces), and constant and multiple overflies with military warplanes entangled in potential incidents with commercial flights (even employing transport types because the shortage of true military types in the Russian forces). That without counting other unrelated naval incidents, just as the Iranian seizure of the Maersk Tigris in 28 April 2015 (and neither counting very prominent landlocked actions, as the counter-DAESH operations in Middl e East). When the big anti-submarine exercise Dynamic Mongoose did begin in 4 May 2015 was interpreted by many journalists as an answer to the latest Russian actions and menacing postures, but it was actually a yearly exercise. But in the current world situation was legit to think otherwise, more with the intervention in the exercise of Swedish Navy elements, probably as consequence of the Russian-attributed Swedish submarine incident of October 2014, as Sweden is not a NATO member, but did participate as partner. Further, when the also yearly BALTOPS 2015 multipurpose and landing exercise did begin from 5 to 20 June 2015 with theoretically neutral Swedish and Finnish partner participation, the Russian State-owned media (Russia Today, Sputnik, Russia Beyond the Headlines and others) and associated Western media did begin a campaign to delegitimize the NATO exercises (BALTOPS 2015 was a complex exercise simultaneous to others as Saber Strike 2015 and Noble Jump 2015), and to justify any Russian military action. At last, in this alternate history path, on 17 June 2015 at BALTOPS 2015 peak, the NATO and partners show of force did go erroneously a few nautical miles East, and the ships for the programmed landing in the small Polish town of Ustka (BNp, a few days previously was another training landing in Sweden, near Ravlunda, BOp) are presented just off the coastline of the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad between Lithuania and Poland (Formerly Konigsberg in East Prussia. What better excuse to request a land bridge from the Russian side, nobody remember the very near Danzig Corridor and the 1939 German Ultimatum to Poland?), and the situation goes to the boiling point very fast. To keep his security promises to the Russian people Putin is forced to an open war and destroy the landing forces near Kaliningrad, employing all the forces in the Baltic theatre, and another very few deployed from others. The state of readiness of the NATO forces is low, the first two days of the open conflict can count only with the forces at disposition of the current exercises, but with the complete Polish Air Force order of battle, in high state of readiness because the international situation (The Finnish Air Force will be limited to protect this homeland). Will be vital for both sides to prevail these two first days of war, for Russia as propaganda and to show his force, for NATO and partners for resist and mobilize all the Western forces the next days, almost guaranteeing the victory against Putin's Russia. Enrique Mas, July 4 2015. Click here to download this file

File Name: "Diesel Boats Forever": the great USS Grenadier Soviet ballistic missile submarines chase, May 1959. Historical Scenario. File Submitter: broncepulido File Submitted: 27 Jun 2016 File Category: GIUK "Diesel Boats Forever": the great USS Grenadier Soviet ballistic missile submarines chase, May 1959. Historical Scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the GIUK Gap Battleset and the HCCW-140314 Cold War 1950-1975 Platform Database. This scenario is designed with advanced Scenario Editor and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later. Image: USS Grenadier (SS-525) in 1951, after the Guppy II conversion (Guppy stands for Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program) with the original stepped Portsmouth Sail (changed to a taller Northern Sail circa 1960), but probably previously to be fitted with a BQR-2 (circa 1953), and apparently with WFA (dome) and JT (abaft it) sonars on deck. US Navy photo, and in consequence in public domain, took from navysource.org. This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/US side or from the Red/Soviet side. To avoid a few spoilers you should play a few times first the Blue side, and only later play the Red side. Well beyond the commissioning of USS Nautilus (SSN-571) in May 1954, five years later USN can count with only six nuclear attack submarines, some of them experimental. It should wait to 1975 to see the last GUPPY conversions retired (USS Tiru, SS-416), and to 1990 to see the last operational combat-capable conventional diesel-electric decommissioned (USS Blueback, SS-581). Also, the first US nuclear ballistic missile submarine was to start her first patrol only from November 1960 (USS George Washington, SSBN-598). Meanwhile, from 1957 was suspected the Soviet Union has in service diesel-electric ballistic missile submarines in patrol near the US coast and of other Allies in North Atlantic. To confirm the suspects, a drill was planned, centring four wartime period diesel-electric boats modernized to GUPPY configurations. They were also equipped with the medium-frequency long-range passive sonar BQR-2 (a direct derivative of the wartime German Balkongerat, employed in Type XXI-class submarines). But were not employed specialized hunter-killer submarines equipped with the longer range BQR-4 (Installed from 1951-1953 in seven SSK GUPPY IIA, and in three Balao Fleet Snorkel conversions near 1955, reducing the number of torpedoes and torpedo tubes)- The four boats left their homeport of Key West, Florida, in April 1959, to conduct "special antisubmarine exercises", and were deployed somewhere in the GIUK gap. Also were secretly deployed three maritime patrol squadrons at NAS Keflavik, Iceland. At last, after about a month of sailing and more of 18 hours of chase, on 29 May 1959 a Soviet Zulu V-class/Project VA611 diesel-electric ballistic missile submarine, was caged in the trap and forced to surface, and some photos were took. The secretive mission was a success, and as pretended was demonstrated the presence of Soviet ballistic missile submarine in Atlantic Ocean. Was also a success of the intelligence community, and of the US strategic planning and tactical execution of anti-submarine (ASW) warfare. And one case of Jack Daniels Old No. 7 black label Tennessee sour mash whiskey was awarded to the crew of USS Grenadier and her captain Ted Davis, by Admiral Jerauld Wright, then commander-in-chief of the Atlantic Fleet, as no unit award was presented to the boat for surfacing the Soviet ballistic-missile submarine, except a medal presented by the crew to Lt. Cmdr. Davis, made out of a mayonnaise lid and pieces of an old flag. Enrique Mas, 27 June 2016. Click here to download this file

File Name: Battle of the River Plate, December, 13, 1939. Historical Scenario. File Submitter: broncepulido File Submitted: 04 Sep 2009 File Category: South Atlantic Battle of the River Plate, 13 December 1939. Historical Scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the EC2003 Battle for South Atlantic The Americas Battleset and the HCWW-101110 World Wars era Platform Database. Picture: Source Wikipedia Commons from Imperial War Museum. IWM caption : The German battleship Admiral Graf Spee in flames after being scuttled in the River Plate Estuary off Montevideo, Uruguay. 17 December 1939. This is photograph A 3 from collections of Imperial War Museums (collection no. 4700-01). A very fast and furious encounter between the Royal Navy and the Kriegsmarine, in middle of the Phoney War, decisive for aftercoming naval events. Good also for testing the artillery. I did played it many times, and the results can be surprising due to the hazards and random capability of the AI and the Game Engine mechanisms. Playable from Red or Blue sides. December 1939. In this period of the phoney war, while a couple of months the German pocket battleship (classified as heavy cruiser or armoured cruiser for others scholars) Admiral Graf Spee had been commerce raiding since the start of the war in September, a very extent cruise while avoiding killing anyone but with no very impressive results. And she's now the only Kriegsmarine warship operating in far seas. And the fate led she to fulfil the same destination as her predecessors in the South Atlantic in WWI, not far from the places where the CL Dresden and the rest of the East Asia squadron commanded by her name-sake Vice Admiral Maximilian Graf von Spee were sunken 25 years earlier, almost entirely in the now forgotten First Battle of the Falklands (Malvinas) Islands. Her own captain, Kapitan zur See Hans Wilhelm Langsdorff , a not Nazi sympathizer officer and old neighbour of the family of the own Maximilian von Spee, was himself a longstanding naval officer who had seen action at the Battle of Jutland. Now, after a bloodless cruise, enfaced with a group he think is composed of CA Exeter and two DDs, Langsdorff must decide to fight or to flee. His ship is superior in battle capabilities, and she's diesel engined with more rapid response than the steam engined British ships, but the enemy is faster, and aided by his very numerically superior forces,undoubtedly can speed-up and chase his slower ship at middle term. More informations at http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/WH2Navy-fig-WH2Nav03a.HTML Enrique Mas, September 2009. Click here to download this file

File Name: Latakia Bastion advanced base, October 2015. Historical Scenario. File Submitter: broncepulido File Submitted: 15 Oct 2015 File Category: Middle East Latakia Bastion advanced base, October 2015. Historical Scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for The Middle East Battleset and the HCDB-150928 standard 1980-2015 Platform Database. This scenario is designed with advanced Scenario Editor and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later. This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/Israel side or from the Red/Russian side. To avoid a few spoilers you should play a few times first the Blue side, and only later play the Red side. Image: Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback strike fighter, in Russian service from 21 March 2014. Photo taked by Dmitry Terekhov in 30 August 2015 at MAKS 2015, retrieved from Wikipedia Commons. After the full of naval, military and security incidents year of 2014 and the not less eventful first eight months of 2015, the World was beginning the so-called Second Cold War. Mostly as result of President of Russia Vladimir Putin (ex-KGB lieutenant colonel) actions, provoking in succession the Crimea, Ukraine, Donetsk, Baltic States, October 2014 Swedish submarine incursion, G-20 Brisbane meeting naval crisis, November 2014 Faslane submarine incident, frigate Yaroslav Mudryy February "Channel Dash", April 2015 Finnish submarine incursion (for many observers causing the pre-mobilization of Finland reserve forces), and with constant and multiple overflies with military warplanes entangled in potential incidents with commercial flights in Europe. That without counting in other unrelated naval incidents, just as the Iranian seizure of the Maersk Tigris in 28 April 2015 (and neither counting in landlocked actions, as the ISIS operations in Middle East). At last at the start of September 2015, and in face of the mild Western answer at his previous action (but aside constant and intensive military drills worldwide) Vladimir Putin decides to higher his stakes, His last decision surprised the World and was centred in a new theatre of operations for Russia: That was Syria and his four-year long civil unrest and war. With the alibi of destroy the Islamists of Islamic State/Daesh, Putin start to place considerable warplane assets in Bassel Al-Assad International Airport (a simple and small base now called Khmeimim AB) and to fortify it. The base is near Latakia and Tartus, both Syrian Mediterranean ports of call with a discrete previous Russian military presence, limited mostly to intelligence and support dedicated ships. But actually the alibi was only aimed to neutralize and destroy with ground attacks not the Islamic State/Daesh forces, but other Syrian rebel forces, not so Islamist, menacing Russian ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the own Russian global strategic position. But that's public excuses and covert actions could be a calculus error and more dangerous for Putin ambitions than he expects, as the region politics and power balances are all less easy. Probably at long run a decision more erroneous than the limited US support to Afghanistan Mujahideen in the 1980s, and one feeding growing concern in Israel ... Note: this scenario was initially inspired in current fake claims posted in dubious Internet sites about the Israeli fighters fleeing as consequence of the presence of Russian fighters. Enrique Mas, October 15, 2015. Click here to download this file

File Name: The Maersk Tigris Incident. 28 April 2015. Alternate History Scenario. File Submitter: broncepulido File Submitted: 02 May 2015 File Category: Middle East The Maersk Tigris Incident, 28 April 2015. Alternate History Scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the Middle East IOPG Battleset and the HCDB-140909 1980-2015 era Platform Database. Image: An MH-60S Knighthawk flies by the guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) during a replenishment-at-sea evolution in the Arabian Sea on Dec. 4, 2012. The Knighthawk is attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 8 and is assigned to the Military Sealift Command USNS Bridge (T-AOE 10). DoD photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Kenneth Abbate, U.S. Navy.(Released). Origin: DoD and Wikipedia. This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/US side or from the Red/Iranian side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red/Iranian side. From 28 April 2015 the container ship M/V Maersk Tigris, in operation from 2014, 62292 t DWT, chartered by the Danish company Maersk Line, world's largest container shipping company, and flagged in the Marshall Islands, which the United States bears security responsibility for, in one of the numerous 2014-2015 naval incidents, was intercepted and seized while she was transiting through the Strait of Hormuz sailing from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Jebel Ali (a UAE port near Dubai) by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) light crafts, after some warning shots over the bridge. The ship was seized, as by the Iranian explanations, because an allegedly unresolved cargo claim over unpaid debts brought by the Iranian company Pars Talaie ten years old (is usual to seize a ship because a court order, but only anchored or in port, never sailing or in transit). But many analyst suspect is only an excuse of the theocratic Supreme Leader of Iran to justify to his people his naval capabilities, after the failure a few days earlier to use sea lanes to send weapons and support to the Yemen Revolutionary Committee and the Shia Islam's sympathizers Houthi fighters faction in the ongoing Yemen 2015 Civil War (Just near 23 April 2015 the Iranian frigate Alborz and the oiler and supply ship Bushehr were escorting nine Iranian cargo vessels off Yemen, but their access to the coast was denied by Saudi, Egyptian and American warships). After the seizure, at current times (2 May 2015) in the real world M/V Maersk Tigris is anchored in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, waiting for the issue solution. On this alternate history scenario the IRGCN fails a first attempt to seize Maersk Tigris, the ship flies and demand support from the near US forces, doing the military engagement inevitable. Is of consideration Iran only compromises his Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) ships to seize Maersk Tigris, and not his regular Navy, probably to avoid escalation in the conflict and in case of failure use IRGCN as scapegoat, saying was IRGCN decision to seize Maersk Tigris. One of the purposes of this scenario is to capture the speed, chaos and flavour of this type of asymmetrical engagements, and to test the swarm attack theories. Enrique Mas, 2 May 2015. Click here to download this file

File Name: Operation Paraquet: South Georgia, 20-26 April 1982. Historical Scenario. File Submitter: broncepulido File Submitted: 21 Sep 2015 File Category: South Atlantic Operation Paraquet: South Georgia, 20-26 April 1982. Historical Scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the South Atlantic Battleset and the HCDA-110606 (Harpoon Commander's Edition Database 'Americas') Platform Database. Image: Ice patrol ship HMS Endurance A 171 (in service 1967-1991), support ship and guard vessel for the British Antarctic Survey. Probably sailing off South Georgia, judging by the surrounding seascape. Photo by Alan Broomhead (ex Royal Navy), uploaded 2006, from Wikipedia Commons. This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/UK side or from the Red/Argentine side. To avoid spoilers you should play a few times first the Blue side, and only later play the Red side. Operation Paraquet was the first British movement to retake territory from the Argentine occupation in the South Atlantic War of 1982, defeating the limited Argentine Garrison in South Georgia. A small task force with only two Wessex assault helicopters was centred on the RFA Tidespring and other heterogeneous elements, included the ice patrol vessel HMS Endurance. It was a sort of very long range strategic guerrilla operation subsidiary of Operation Corporate, Operation Paraquet was a low intensity operation but with impressive state of art platforms and weapon systems. At last, after a few hours, an assault by SAS, SBS and Royal Marines and a purpose bloodless naval bombardment demonstration the small Argentine garrison surrendered (less the infamous Lieutenant Commander Astiz unit of Buzos Tacticos, who did it the day after). But before that the operation was in great distress, with the loss of both Wessex assault helicopters by very bad weather and bad luck, and after an emergency and improvised ASW action included the use of helicopter-launched air-to-surface missiles. This scenario want to transmit the strange flavour of that distant waters campaign, with lack of air cover, very long distances and very few and sometimes rare elements. Also, the player probably will be surprised by the lack of capabilities of sensors and weapons system (including dumb torpedoes), even counting with modern platforms to carry them as hunter/killer nuclear submarines, compared with the current types usually employed in the Harpoon simulation in more usual scenarios. Last but not least the scenario try to simulate how the events could be developed slightly otherwise. Enrique Mas, 21 September 2015. ​ Click here to download this file

File Name: LCS Goes to War 2, the Real Thing, Spratly Islands, 11 May 2015. Historical Scenario. File Submitter: broncepulido File Submitted: 23 May 2015 File Category: WestPac LCS Goes to War 2, the Real Thing, Spratly Islands, 11 May 2015. Historical Scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the Western Pacific Battleset and the HCDB-150511 1980-2015 era Platform Database. Image: USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) trailed by Chinese frigate Yuncheng (571) in the Spratly Islands, 11 May 2015. Official photo released by US Navy and as consequence in public domain. This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/US side or from the Red/Chinese side. To avoid spoilers you should play a few times first the Blue side, and only later play the Red side. After the full of naval and security incidents year of 2014 and the not less eventful first five months of 2015 and with the World beginning the so-called Second Cold War when President of Russia Vladimir Putin (ex-KGB lieutenant colonel) provoked in succession the Crimea, Ukraine, Donetsk, Baltic States, October 2014 Swedish submarine incursion, G-20 Brisbane meeting naval crisis, November 2014 Faslane submarine incident, frigate Yaroslav Mudryy February "Channel Dash", April 2015 Finnish submarine incursion (for many observers causing the pre-mobilization of Finland reserve forces), and constant and multiple overflies with military warplanes entangled in potential incidents with commercial flights. That without counting in other unrelated naval incidents, just as the Iranian seizure of the Maersk Tigris in 28 April 2015 (and neither counting in landlocked actions, as the ISIS operations in Middle East). But meanwhile, more towards Far East, was China the less perceived problem. In some places of the South China Sea multiple country claimed Spratly Islands archipelago (Chinese: Nansha islands, Filipino: Kapuluan ng Kalayaan, Malay: Kepulauan Spratly and Vietnamese: Quan dao Truong Sa), China was for years mongering his plans and established a permanent base at least from 1987, and 1988 included a naval battle against Vietnam, the Johnson South Reef Skirmish. Also at least from 1995, as denounced by Philippines, China was building structures with military capabilities, including from 2012 more relevant structures, as the 3000+ meters long (Very Large Airport in Harpoon parameters) runway in Fiery Cross Reef, and more important, building artificial reefs and islands above previous simple shoals. At last in an undetermined date late April 2015 China claims as territorial waters the 12 nautical miles circling his "new" islands. As the US official doctrine is Freedom of Navigation (FON), and as in this case with fears about a decision not to send naval vessels into the zone would inadvertently help the Chinese build their own case for sovereignty in the area, some air and surface elements of US Navy begin to orbit near the Chinese claims, but not crossing the 12 nm line. One of the first incidents (another was a VP-45 Pelicans' P-8A Poseidon in surveillance mission carrying a CNN TV team inside, warned by the Chinese to no flight 12 nm near of Fiery Cross Reef on 20 May 2015) was the trailing for some hours of the USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) by the Chinese frigate Yuncheng (571) on 11 May 2015. This scenario try to show what could have happened, and shows how near was one of the first missions of a controversial LCS to end with the ship placed where she was not designed to be, first line of combat. Enrique Mas, 23 May 2015. Click here to download this file

File Name: A Dragon in South Africa, April 2015. Historical Training Scenario. File Submitter: broncepulido File Submitted: 16 Apr 2015 File Category: South Africa A Dragon in South Africa, April 2015. Historical Training Scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the South Africa Battleset and the HCDB-140909 1980-2015 era Platform Database. Image: HMS Dragon in the English Channel in 30 August 2011, photo by LA(Phot) Nicky Wilson, photo taked from Wikipedia Commons and in OGL (Open Government License). This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/UK side or from the Red/South Africa side. Is a very simple and introductory scenario, inspired in the limited and criticized Type 45 ASW capabilities. In April 2015 the British Type 45 air defence-oriented destroyer HMS Dragon was in good will visit to Cape Town and played some ASW exercises against the South African submarine SAS Manthatisi, a ten years old German build and designed Type 209/1400 conventional diesel-electric submarine. As Type 45 is very criticized because her limited ASW capabilities (and many in the class also without anti-ship missiles), is a good time to essay a situation as that tested in the exercise. Of course if you sink the enemy unit you win, but is a training exercise and actually shots weren't fired and none was hurt ... Enrique Mas, April 2015 Click here to download this file

File Name: Duel in the English Channel, mid-February 2015. File Submitter: broncepulido File Submitted: 02 Mar 2015 File Category: GIUK Duel in the English Channel, mid-February 2015. Alternate history scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the EC2003 Battle for GIUK Gap Battleset and the HCDB-140909 1980-2015 era Platform Database. Image: HMS Argyll in 2009, UK MoD photo, from Wikipedia Commons. Author: LA(Phot) Caz Davies. This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/UK side or from the Red/Russia side. Is a very simple and introductory scenario, but you should play first a few times the Blue/UK side to avoid possible spoilers, and only later play the Red/Russia side. After the eventful year of 2014 and with the World beginning the so-called Second Cold War, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin (ex-KGB lieutenant colonel) was showing clearly his plan to recover the Russian Empire and later Soviet territories for reinstitute the greatness of his Russia, and to guarantee his passage on the History as savior of the Rodina. From May 2014 Putin provoked in succession the Crimea, Ukraine, Donetsk, Baltic States, Swedish submarine incursion, G-20 Brisbane meeting naval crisis, November 2014 Faslane submarine incident, and constant and multiple overflies with military warplanes causing potential incidents with commercial flights. After UK did retire all the Nimrod MR.2 ASW and maritime patrol aircrafts in 2010 (and his ill-fated projected replacement Nimrod MRA.4 in 2012), the island nation was hopeless without a credible defence even of his nearest sea lanes (we can add to these very erroneous decisions others recent ones, losing full weapon capabilities in others fields, as the air-launched Sea Eagle anti-ship missile in 2000, the Sea Harrier in 2006, the Harrier in 2009 and the anti-radar ALARM missile in December 2013). Also, from near 2010 only a warships was available for "escort" foreign or potentially enemy ships sailing the English Channel. One of the first naval incidents of 2015 was the 17 February "Channel Dash" by the Neustrashimyy-class frigate Yaroslav Mudryy, returning to her Baltiysk base near Kaliningrad. This scenario shows as the incident did could go wrong. Enrique Mas, March 2015. Click here to download this file

File Name: Battle of the Ligurian Sea, 18 March 1945. Last Stand of Kriegsmarine. Historical Scenario File Submitter: broncepulido File Submitted: 14 Feb 2015 File Category: MEDC Battle of the Ligurian Sea, 18 March 1945. Last Stand of Kriegsmarine. Historical Scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCWW-101110 World Wars era Platform Database. To avoid spoilers is better to play first a few times the Allied/Blue side, and only after play the German/Red side. Image: Camouflaged Yugoslavian destroyers Dubrovnik (left, then Italian Premuda), and Beograd (then Italian Sebenico), probably at Bocche di Cattaro (Montenegro) after their capture by Italian forces on 17 April 1941. Origin: taked from Wikipedia Commons and from Propagandakompanien der Wehrmacht - Heer und Luftwaffe (Bild 101 I) and German Federal Archives. Battle of the Ligurian Sea was a small little known naval battle, last surface battle of Kriegsmarine executed by the last elements of Kriegsmarine's 10th Torpedo Boat Flotilla, composed by previously captured foreign warships of diverse origin, and fought near places with one of the world older naval history recorded, Returning to Genoa after a minelaying action near Cap Corse and Gorgona Island, the small German force was surprised and attacked by marauding Allied light units. Some months before, on 2 October 1944, the same German flotilla and ships encountered USS Gleaves (DD-423) in a similar minelaying mission towards San Remo (now Sanremo) but they did avoid contact and returned to Genoa undamaged, and this ill-fated encounter is depicted as the labelled LIGURIAN44 bonus scenario. Both mini-scenarios are introductory scenarios or historical representations more than full-scale scenarios (but probably addictive on his simplicity). Enrique Mas, February 2015. Click here to download this file

File Name: Mine incursion in the Phoney War, 12-13 December 1939. Historical Scenario File Submitter: broncepulido File Submitted: 07 Feb 2015 File Category: GIUK Minelaying Incursion in the Phoney War, 12-13 December 1939. Historical Scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the EC2003 Battle for GIUK Gap Battleset and the HCWW-101110 World Wars era Platform Database. To avoid spoilers is better to play first a few times the British/Blue side, and only after play the German/Red side. Image: pre-War photos of German destroyers Z1 Leberecht Maas and Z5 Paul Jakobi, as depicted on the A503 FM30-50 booklet for identification of ships, published by the Division of Naval Inteligence of the Navy Department of the United States and as consequence in public domain. Taked from Wikipedia Commons. A mining scenario based on the 12-13 December mining incursion near Newcastle by German light surface forces in the Phoney War. Both sides have limited resources and many task to do and many paths to victory. The present forces are all the historical correct as I can get them. Are depicted the historical surface and subsurface naval forces, the complete RAF Coastal Command order of battle at 12 December 1939, and the on the German side in the same date the near to North Sea units of Kustenfliegergruppen, Seeaufklarungsgruppen and the only and one Tragergruppe 186 with instructional land-based aircrafts to ready Luftwaffe air crews for future naval use in the Graf Zeppelin aircraft carrier, ship who never entered in service. Notes: Some very few British DD/DE not are of the exact time period represented, but almost all of them are historically correct and present as in the operations in December 1939. The number of aircraft in the air units of both sides are hypothetical and not strictly historical. A very few of the German aircraft types subvariants are not historical accurate. Some aircrafts of the RAF Coastal Command are represented by similar types because limitations in the Database: 30xAnson MkI=15xHudson MkI/II. 4xLondon I, London II, Stranraer or Skeeter represented by 1xSunderland III. 2xSunderland I represented by 1xSunderland III. The ahistorical SOSUS or CAESAR contacts on naval units can be considered as representations of SIGINT or HUMINT detections. Enrique Mas, February 2015. Click here to download this file