The Hunt for The Arctic Sea

 

Hi - I'm a new member to the forum but always been a fan of the Harpoon Classic Edition. Continued under the

Harpoon Commanders Edition banner by Matrix Games.

 

Bearing in mind players love of new scenarios - particularly those based on actual events.

I'm surprised no ones mooted the idea of creating a scenario based on the mysterious events surrounding the

disappearence of the russian cargo ship Artic Sea. Supposedly taken by Pirates and for which coastguards lost

communications with, when the pirates switched off all comms & satellite tracking system - when it

entered the busiest shipping lane in the world - namely the English Channel.

 

The reaction by the Russian Government in seeking out and recapturing the Arctic Sea, is straight out of

Tom Clancy's - The Hunt for Red October. A number of Russian naval assets were redirected in seeking out the

missing freighter, including two Akula-class subs that were stationed off the US Coast.

 

Naturally their was much press speculation as to the reasons why the Arctic Sea was hijacked by pirates and

the over reaction of the Russians in sending so many naval ships in pursuit of the missing cargo ship. The

most popular theory being that it was carrying russian missles to Iran,. Something the russian government

has strenuously denied, saying their was no mysterious cargo aboard the cargo ship when they re-captured

it off the Cape Verde Islands.

 

Whatever the truth of the Arctic Sea incident - its ripe for a Harpoon style sea chase, incorporating a few of

the consipracy theories, to liven up the sea chase.

 

For backgound information on the Hunt for The Arctic Sea - heres my own news report on the incident:

 

http://www.expatua.com/forum/index.php/topic,4462.0.html

Hi - I'm a new member to the forum but always been a fan of the Harpoon Classic Edition. Continued under the

Harpoon Commanders Edition banner by Matrix Games.

 

Bearing in mind players love of new scenarios - particularly those based on actual events.

I'm surprised no ones mooted the idea of creating a scenario based on the mysterious events surrounding the

disappearence of the russian cargo ship Artic Sea. Supposedly taken by Pirates and for which coastguards lost

communications with, when the pirates switched off all comms & satellite tracking system - when it

entered the busiest shipping lane in the world - namely the English Channel.

 

<snipped>

 

I was looking at this incident several weeks back because it was of considerable interest to the organization I work for. We have crews that are trained for armed boarding and we conduct these drills pretty regularly. The general concensus is that the ship was on some job for the Russian government/military and something happened along the way to get them to take a more proactive role. There are any number of reasons as to what may have happened, from the non authorized transfer of sensitive material, to possible financial troubles of the ship owners, to just a paperwork mixup.

 

ANW just recent received an upgrade that will now permit the takeover of another vessel. And we have just last week changed the abilities of sensors to classify targets via their hull name/number as opposed to just a class type [an argument could be made that painting over hull numbers and/or names of ships during wartime is now moot in the age of the information society].

 

The first thing we'd have to do is model merchant shipping. There are numerous sources available to give the scenario designer some idea as to numbers of ships that pass through specific areas. I use marinetraffic.com to keep track of any number of ships [as does my wife to keep track of me!]. A quck check of the UK area shows about 525 ships in the area West of Dover and a whopping 1760 East of it. Of those 1760 ships, 350 are currently in the Port of Rotterdam.

 

Talk about a needle in a haystack.

 

The good news is that AIS can make tracking ships alot easier. If the Arctic Sea didn't want to be found then all she had to do was turn off her radar's and AIS. Vessels searching for her then will have to close to make a visual ID of any target that shows up on radar but not AIS. I strongly suspect that the SOSUS net would come in very handy here, that or a platform with a good towed array....

 

From that point on it's a simple intercept exercise. However searching for the vessel might take several days of game time.

 

Later

D

The Hunt for the Arctic Sea

 

When it comes to writing a storyline or plot for the Harpoon game of the Hunt for the MV Arctic

Sea. You can certainly take on board a number of speculative rumours, probabilities and conspiracy

theories surrounding the hijacking of the Arctic Sea.

 

Photo of the MV Arctic Sea

 

What is known about the Arctic Sea is that:

 

Map showing the movements of the Arctic Sea

 

1. Prior to her journey to Finland to pick up timber, ready for her voyage to Algiers. She was laid

up in the russian enclave port of Kaliningrad, for repairs. This forms the basis of the illegal arms plot

to the Middle East, namely S-300 or KH-55 missiles. Here the Independant quoting an article from

Komsomolskaya Pravda, who spoke to a senior russian naval officer, involved in the investigation of

a 'weapons mafia' involving top russian officials.

 

The Independent - Illegal weapons smuggled aboard Arctic Sea in Kaliningrad

 

2. She sails to the Finnish port of Jacobstad, to pick up her shipment of timber.

 

3. Masked men board The Arctic Sea off Sweden, disguised as Police officers and hold the Captain and

crew captive. Here the press have different theories and motives for the hijacking, first that the

illegal arms trafficers had hired the 'so called, team of Pirates' to steer the ship on a new course to

rendevous with an Iranian ship, in the Atlantic ( the Captain & crew being somehow oblivious to the

illegal cargo smuggled aboard ship in Kaliningrad )

Or that the Russian government had sent in a special team of Spetnaz's to sieze the ship, after

finding out about the illegal arms shipment and then, to avoid further embarrasment. Staged the Arctic

Sea's hijacking and disappearence; in order to give the Russian's the perfect excuse to pursue the

Arctic Sea and sieze the illegal cargo, out of sight of any western observers or the glare of the media.

 

4. The final capture of The Arctic Sea, off The Cape Verde Islands by the Russian Krivak class

frigate Ladnyy. Whatever the truth behind the hijacking of the Arctic Sea - whether it was a

simple case of Piracy, without the slightest suspicion of it carrying anything out of the ordinary

except timber. This must be the perfect result for the Russian Navy capturing the Pirate hijackers.

 

 

Russian Krivak class frigate - Ladnvyy

 

The Krivak class frigate, Ladnyy

 

 

Harpoon GIUK Gap Scenario suggestions

 

Going along with the Illegal Weapons Mafia story, involving corrupt government officials, this will be

a game of hide and seek. With Blue being the Iranian's, in this case the cargo ship Arctic Sea & another

cargo ship waiting to rendevous with Arctic Sea in the Atlantic. To transfer the missles ( lets say

they are the light KH-55 missiles ) by helicopter to the Iranian freighter, crewed by Iran's Revolutionary

Guards.

To add spice to the scenario, the Iranian's have two submarines shadowing the Arctic Sea, who will

drop behind and pose a 'will they, won't they' threat to the pursuing russian frigate Ladnyy. It

would be nice if the Ladnyy can deploy a helicopter to add to the over the horizon search.

Naturally NATO will be completely nuetral in the sea chase so the Red side, Russia can expect little

help from them.

As VCDH says, the Hunt for the Arctic Sea will be taking place in the busiest shipping lanes in the

World. So if we can stuff the Arctic Sea route, full of nuetral merchantmen, to provide false trails

or false sightings, then its a case of the Ladnyy not being able to see the wood for the trees.

Of course the Arctic Sea is a ship that doesn't want to be found before shes delivered her illegal

cargo. So as VCDH point out, she will be cruising without her radar's and AIS switched on.

 

Victory conditions for the Iranian's is for the Arctic Sea to rendevous with the Iranian freighter

and be on station at her rendevous point, long enough for the transfer of missiles.

 

Victory conditions for the Red, or Russian side is to locate and intercept the Arctic Sea, before

she reaches the Iranian rendevous point. Its a pity Harpoon doesn't include the ability to board

and capture ships ( 18th century style ), so it looks like the Ladnyy will have no other choice

but to sink the Arctic Sea with her surface to surface missiles. Naturally we will assume that

the russians have captured the ship, disarmed the pirates and transferred both pirates and

crew to the Ladnny before sinking the ship.

Its a pity Harpoon doesn't include the ability to board

and capture ships ( 18th century style )

 

It will do in the next patch.