Slitherine

quote:

Tweety

Klaus Behrmann's New World Order: Uppercut

Bottom line up front:

This was a wonderful scenario to teach humility and patience to the trigger-happy commander such as myself. Personally, I disliked the second SAG to the west - their presence is neither necessary nor explained, as far as I could see. They do offer a few Harpoons and Tomahawks, but nothing the main battle group couldn't deliver themselves. Besides... by the time their missiles strike, as a Pakistani I have no assets to speak of anymore, anyways!

On the other hand, I thoroughly enjoyed this simple but quite challenging scenario. Give it a few days, and I may just try the NATO side.

Basic Data:
Harpoon 3.6.3 w/ DB2000 v6531
New World Order scenario #1: Uppercut

Orders: Damage the USS Carl Vinson at least 70%. Disregard all losses.


Into the fray:

041800zJAN2002

I settle into CIC for a graveyard shift that really deserves the name. The orders are painfully clear - sink the carrier Carl Vinson, anchoring before Karachi. Her escorts are a bonus, but the mission states to go for the carrier disregarding all risks to man and machine. Sounds like a suicide mission. Well, Inshallah.

Carl Vinson is preparing to leave the harbor - definitely the United States have felt the winds change - together with her escorts, DDG O'Kane, CG Antietam, FFG Ingraham and AOE Sacramento. Additionally, there is a small surface action group about 50 miles west, centered around a second Ticonderoga class cruiser. A CAP of two Tomcats is airborne south of the formation, which is preparing to sail.

My immediate assets are four Mirage 5's armed with one Exocet missile each. Also, I have three batteries of Silkworm SSMs, four Frigates armed with Exocets and two missile boats with C-802 SSMs.

All in all, that's 58 missiles immediately available, with a spread of about 150 degrees on the target's horizon. Basically enough to overpower two AEGIS defenders. I can basically discount the Ingraham and the Sacramento for this matter - in addition to their low capability in air defense, they are also badly placed. Unfortunately, one or two Silkworms and Exocets won't sufficiently damage an aircraft carrier. With a little luck, flight operations will have to be suspended. With more luck yet, a lucky hit will take out the Sea Sparrow launchers or a Phalanx gun. But I don't want to gamble that many lifes on luck.

There can be no hiding the Silkworms, the ships or the airborne fighters - the infidels are close enough to actually see them. What they don't see, however, may yield success for my mission. Eight more Mirages are ready at Masroor airbase. All they will have to do is get the aircraft airborn and point the nose in a southeasterly direction. At this range, they can hardly miss. However, neither can the american SM-2 missiles. I shall have to hold them in reserve, praying that the revetments survive the wrath that is sure to follow the first strike. There is no time to lose, waiting for them to scramble before commencing the attack.

My last ace up the sleeve are two diesel submarines some 25 miles south of the carrier group. As soon as I can see a course of escape for the group, they will converge on that spot and lie low in the shallow water. My hope is that the coastal shallows and the civilian traffic play havoc with American sonar performance and they will be able to close to about two miles distance. A carrier can shrug off a lot, but four torpedoes, simultaneously loosed, will surely suffice. Time to start.

I order two of my Mirages to circumvent the group and assume positions southwest. The key to overpowering the AEGIS ships lies in an enveloping attack - or so I hope. In the four minutes the aircraft take to get to their new position, the carrier and its group sail on a south-by-southwest course. Perfect. This course will take him right between my submarines. They converge at flank speed. The environment will be noisy as hell in a minute, so the risk should be minimal. In the meantime, the carrier launches a Prowler and a Hawkeye, while the Ingraham sends a Seahawk along the new course. I'm a little concerned about the Prowler, but it does not start jamming yet. I consider killing it first, but the jamming equipment on the combatants is more than adequate, so I see no reason to tip my hand earlier than absolutely necessary.

The carrier passes the spot where all missiles will have an equal flight time. I allow my men a second of prayer before I order an alpha strike - mere seconds later, 58 missiles converge on the Carl Vinson. Not entirely unexpected, the automated systems on the AEGIS defenders launch their SAMs barely a second later. Equally expected, the frigate and the SAG to the west loose all the Harpoons they can muster at my surface ships. Well, their rails are empty, their fate is concluded. Now I can only wait. The surviving surface vessels will attempt to close in, but I doubt they make more than a mile or two.

AEGIS almost prevails. Two of the silkworms and three Exocets hit the carrier. As soon as all my missiles are gone, the Americans launch a Tomahawk strike against my port facilities and one of my radar stations. It thorougly escapes me why my other radar and the airport are allowed to survive further. As predicted, my surface ships survive only two minutes. Left with but their guns, they do not have much to offer in this fight anymore anyway.

1930z

I allow the group to make almost the entire twentyfive miles to my submarines before I attempt to launch my remaining fighters. It will be a close call on the submarines, as they need to be quietly on the ground by the time the frigate passes them - it is scouting ahead approximately two miles in front of the carrier. Both missile ships are lagging behind to provide some screening.

Four Mirages actually survive long enough to loose their missiles, though none make it to the ground. No, that's not quite correct. Anyway, the missiles are intercepted just as the frigate passes the CPA of the closer submarine - the S 137 Khalid, which is already lying in wait, silent as the grave. The other one is actually a bit further north, but also farther out. The ships will pass just at the fringe of its torpedo range. That cannot be allowed to happen. S 135 Hashmat fires the first four torpedos while she remains at 20kts, closing and making lots of noise.

The noise attracts some unfriendly attention - not from the frigate, but from the destroyer! Some sort of ASROC, a VLA perhaps. It is soon followed by five more, which drop pretty nearby, while the helicopters drop their loads in two seperate spots, both five miles south! Friendly fire on their own submarines, perhaps? I don't question my luck and close in further. Unfortunately, the group does not evade westward, as I'd hoped, but rather reverses course. Approximately at that time, the destroyer figures my land based assets survived long enough and fires three salvos of Tomahawks at the remaining radar station and the airport. Regrettable, but the Khalid has a pretty stable passive sonar contact on all ships by now. She cannot hope to catch the carrier, however. Maybe it was frustration - for some reason a torpedo was fired upon the Sacramento. Just as that torpedo hits, Khalid hears a splash from somewhere north and the track for the Cruiser Antietam stops moving. Apparently, the Hashmats torpedoes have found a target after all. There is not much time for celebration, though, as the Hashmat is hit barely a minute later by one of the destroyer's torpedoes. Only the Khalid remains now.

1950z

In response to the sinking of Antietam and Sacramento - and, possibly, Hashmat - the remains of the battle group resume their original course. Straight into the maws of Khalid. Patiently, she waits until the Carl Vinson is in range. Four torpedoes are fired - and three of them hit the carrier, which is heavily damaged and sits dead in the water. Frantic reloading operations are underway on Khalid. It can be only a matter of time until the helicopters come or the dreaded frigate returns. For some reason, it never happens. The second volley of torpedoes sinks the carrier. Enthrilled by the victory, Khalid goes to periscope depth, reloads Exocets and sends them after the destroyer while the hulk of the carrier takes on ton after ton of water. Of course, the missiles are all shot down, but I am sure the gesture is understood. Finally, in a sea of flames, screams and life rafts, the carrier disappears in the water - only 90 meters deep in these parts.

Perhaps, later, she will be lifted and much will be learned. So God will.


Result:

Victory at 20:06:08 Zulu, 4 Jan 2002,
S 137 Khalid survives solely, completely out of offensive ordnance.

LOSSES

16 Mirage
1 Alouette III
4 Tariq Frigates
2 Jalalat Missile Boats
S 135 Hashmat
2 Fan Song Radar Sites
Port- / Airport Facilities Karachi and Masroon

KILLS

Sacramento
Antietam
Carl Vinson
- 5 Sea Knight
- 3 Sea Hawk
- 2 Greyhound
- 3 Prowler ICAP II Block 89A
- 8 Viking
- 3 Hawkeye
- 4 Oceanhawk
- 11 Tomcat
- 34 Hornet


Disclaimer (hope it isn't necessary, but you never know)

I tend to write AARs and such in RPG-style. Any views on religion, ethnic issues, or preferred anything do not necessarily reflect my own. Nor do I mean to offend anyone. So don't be!