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#24
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Mike Burleson
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Oct 05, 2004 11:47 PDT
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Greetings! In this issue we recall 60 years ago the Battle of Leyte Gulf
in SEA FIGHTS ON A SHOE STRING. Also we discuss the Navy’s rapidly
shrinking fleet, as well as STRANGE SEA TALES and INTERNATIONAL NAVY
NEWS. Enjoy!
LEAD STORY
THE 300 SHIP NAVY
Currently the combatant arm of the US Navy has dipped from a high of 600
ships in the late 1980’s, to 294 today, and it is expected to shrink
even further. Recent reports indicate the Navy plans to build only 4
warships in 2006, compared to 9 next year. Many argue our forces are
spread thin in the midst of a global war on terrorism, and the Navy is
playing a dangerous game by retiring still useful hulls too soon. Most
recently this has included the first 5 TICONDEROGA class (CG-47) Aegis
cruisers, commissioned in 1983-1987, as well as PERRY class (FFG-7)
frigates, 50 which were received 1977-1989. The PERRYs have recently
proved essential for the post 9-11 strategy of coastal warfare, against
terrorist attacks on our harbors as well as support of our troops
overseas.
The numbers of warships in commission do not give an accurate portrait
of the fighting power of the modern US Fleet. Since the 1980’s the navy
has equipped its cruisers, destroyers and submarines with Harpoon and
Tomahawk cruise missiles until it has become one vast missile magazine.
Its decks of giant super carriers are filled with warplanes each capable
of loading new precision guided munitions (PGMs), giving them vastly
greater bombing capability.
TICONDEROGA cruisers and ARLEIGH BURKE destroyers carry 100 or more
Standard SAMs and Tomahawk cruise missiles in a vertical launch system
(VLS). With 22 cruisers and 60 destroyers planned in commission, this
gives a missile firing potential of nearly 1000. America’s deep diving
submarines of the VIRGINIA, SEA WOLF, and LOS ANGELES classes, with
around 50 in service, can also fire Tomahawks from VLS or torpedo tubes.
Add to this 4 ex-Trident missile submarines of the OHIO class
(SSBN-776), converted to carry 154 cruise missiles each, and this gives
additional 600 missiles to the surface fleet’s 1000. Though these
numbers aren’t exact, it gives an idea how vastly the warships have
increased in individual firepower from the 600 ships of the Reagan era,
or even the 1000 vessel fleet of the Vietnam War.
Precision weapons have also increased the striking power of navy
aircraft carriers. This was proven in the 1991 Gulf War, when PGMs
amounted to only 10% of bombs dropped, but accounted for 75% of the
damage done. During that war only a few of navy bombers, mainly A-6Es,
were equipped with precision weapons. Now all naval strike aircraft,
including F-14s and the new Super Hornet, carry precision bombs, in
addition to the fire-and-forget, all weather JDAMs. During the Vietnam
War, it took about 300 sorties to destroy a target with old-fashioned
“dumb” bombs. Today’s navy can perform the same mission with one
aircraft carrying PGMs.
The decline has resulted mainly from the neglect of general purpose
anti-submarine forces since the end of the Cold War, including the large
numbers of the PERRY and KNOX (FF-1052) class frigates. With the
disappearance of the threat from Warsaw Pact submarines, anti-submarine
warfare has diminished in importance, though lately the navy seems to be
coming around. The Littoral Combat Ship, due late this decade, may halt
the drop in numbers, and return the submarine fighting expertise which
the Navy had gained through much trial and error in the last century.
*********
FACT: Aristotle called the Greek sailors “frogs”. They were adept
fighting on land as well as the sea.
*********
NOTE: For BREAKING NEWS on MODERN WARSHIPS and emerging naval
strategies, go here- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UltimateWarships/
and sign up!!!
INTERNATIONAL NAVY NEWS
NEW CANADIAN HELICOPTER-After decades of political wrangling, the
Canadian Navy has chosen the American built S-92 Sikorsky helicopter to
replace its aging fleet of Sea Kings. Canada will spend $2.4 billion by
2008 to purchase 28 aircraft.
The S-92 won out over the larger and more expensive EH-101 Cormorant
constructed by a British-Italian consortium. The new helicopter will
replace aircraft first received in 1963 from the US. A replacement for
the venerable Sea King has been sought since the 1980’s. In 1992 plans
to buy 50 EH-101s for $4.4 billion were cancelled by the liberal
government. Four fatal crashes have scandalized the government, driving
the need for replacement.
In 1998 the Defense Department bought 15 Cormorants for $593 million
which are used for search and rescue.
AUSTRALIAN AMPHIBIOUS SHIPS-Designs from Spanish shipbuilders IZAR and
France’s Armaris group are being considered for Australia’s 2 new
amphibious vessels. The $2 billion project will equip the Navy to
perform a range of tasks including peace-keeping, disaster relief, and
support of official and military policies.
Two designs under consideration are the French MISTRAL class, and the
Spanish Strategic Projection Ship. MISTRAL is a 200 meter vessel
carrying 6 helicopters and 4 amphibious landing craft. The Spanish
vessel is of similar size. Both meet a RAN requirement for a 27,000 ton
ship that can operate 6-12 heloes, and sustain a combined arms battle
group plus equipment. When built they will be the largest warships ever
in Australian service.
LITTORAL COMBAT SHIP UPDATE-More details are in about the Navy’s newest
warship, the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).General Dynamics and Lockheed
–Martin are both constructing prototypes in a runoff similar to a jet
fighter competition.
The Lockheed LCS version is a 2839 ton vessel, 378 feet in length, with
a beam of 57 feet. It will carry a 50 man crew in a semi-planing
monohull, at speeds up to 46 knots. The General Dynamics vessel is a
2675 ton trimaran with a beam of 99.7 ft and a length of 416.7 ft. This
version is similar to the British built RV Triton which recently
underwent testing by the British and US navies. Both vessels are
required to have a cruise range of 4300 miles at 20 knots.
Though about the size of a PERRY class (FFG-7) frigate, they will be far
more capable multi-mission ships. Defenses include surface-to-surface
rockets, armed heloes, air search radar, a mine avoidance sonar, medium
and small caliber guns, and anti-torpedo defenses. Low observable and
stealth features will also give greater survivability.
The first vessel will be ordered in 2005 from Lockheed, followed by
General Dynamics in 2006.
*********
FACT: It was not the British Army in WW1 who first developed the tank,
but the Royal Navy, under the instigation of Sir Winston Churchill.
Early examples we called “landships”.
FAMOUS MUTINIES AT SEA
1. SPITHEAD (April 16-June 15 1797)-The British Fleet mutinied in the
midst of the French Revolution over poor working conditions and pay,
which led to sweeping reforms.
2. HMS BOUNTY (April 28 1789) - Possibly the most famous mutiny,
master’s mate Fletcher Christian seized the British warship BOUNTY from
Captain William Bligh.
3. POTEMKIN (June 4 1905)- In a prelude to the Russian Revolution, the
Czarist battleship POTEMKIN’s crew rebelled and escaped to Romania.
4. USS SOMERS (1842) - The son of the Secretary of War, along with 2
other crewmen, was hung in the only recorded mutiny on a US warship.
FACT: In a case of “friendly fire” at sea, the USS GUARDFISH (SS-217)
sank the salvage vessel EXTRACTOR on June 23 1945, thinking it an enemy
submarine.
*********
STRANGE SEA TALES
THE RAMMING OF THE VICTORIA
The headline of the Times of London on June 24, 1893 declared “Terrible
Naval Disaster”. The story read: “The British Mediterranean Squadron
under the command of Sir George Tryon, was yesterday afternoon towards
five o’clock executing some maneuver at sea, about seven miles from
Tripoli, when her majesty’s ship CAMPERDOWN ran down the Admiral’s
flagship VICTORIA. The side of the latter vessel was cut open by the ram
of the CAMPERDOWN, and the VICTORIA sank in a few minutes… Sir George
Tryon and about 370 officers and men went down in her.”
Rear Admiral Sir George Tryon was a great naval reformer in the
tradition bound Royal Navy of the late 19th Century. He joined the navy
at age 16 in 1848, was knowledgeable, ambitious, and intolerant for
those who would resist change. He lived in an age of sweeping
technological reformation as steam engines, armor, torpedoes, and
long-range naval guns were introduced to war at sea. In his rise to high
rank he made very few friends, and not a few enemies.
Of the reforms Tryon attempted to introduce to the resistant fleet was a
new system of signaling he called the “TA”. The navy of the times still
relied on the tried and true method of flag signaling which Nelson
depended on at Trafalgar in the age of sail. Maneuvers at sea consisted
of the raising of thousands of flags by the fleet commander to keep
order and send instructions. Tryon insisted the commander need only
raise the “TA” code, while the rest of the fleet follows his lead in the
flagship. Many in the fleet recognized the need for better signaling in
the modern navy, yet the majority of the officers were hostile to the
system.
Despite the naysayers, Tryon was determined to instill change.
Throughout the summer of 1892 and into 1893, the Admiral led his 8
battleships into some tricky and unusual formations to test his
theories. His attempt to instill initiative into slow thinking officers
would prove too much too soon.
The VICTORIA was considered one of the world’s most powerful warships in
her day. She could race along at over 15 knots on two screws and was
protected by an 18 inch belt of armor. Her main armament consisted of
two 16.25 inch cannon which were some of the largest afloat. In fact
they were rarely fired since the recoil often damaged the ship’s
superstructure.
The fleet’s second in command was Rear Admiral Albert Markham in HMS
CAMPERDOWN, who was 10 years younger than Tryon. Markham was of the
group who had difficulty grasping fleet commander’s new system.
Each of the warships possessed a sharp steel prow called a ram,
including CAMPERDOWN. As the vessels exercised together in the calm
waters of Port Tripoli, CAMPERDOWN suddenly crashed into VICTORIA into
the thin side belt under her waterline. As the giant vessels backed
away, water gushed through the gaping hole in VICTORIA’s side. Admiral
Tryon was heard to say “It is entirely my fault.”
Despite the confusion in the formation, the evacuation of the flagship
proceeded orderly. One of those fished from the water was future
commander of the Grand Fleet in the First World War, John Jellicoe.
Within 10 minutes the VICTORIA had sank to a watery grave, carrying with
her the brilliant but unlucky Sir George Tyron. His death proved a
victory for the traditionalists who blamed the complicated “TA”
signaling. Yet with new threats now appearing as the new century dawned,
others would rise to force change upon a reluctant Royal Navy.
*********
FACT: In the 1925 novel “The Great Pacific War”, author Hector C.
Bywater correctly outlined the course of events in a future US/Japanese
war. This involved a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, as well as amphibious
island hopping as part of a US counter-offensive.
SEA FIGHTS ON A SHOE STRING
MIRACLE OF SAMAR
On the morning of October 25 1944, Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague may have
thought he was witnessing his last sunrise. There on the horizon in the
great Leyte Gulf, appeared a massive force of battleships, cruisers, and
destroyers under Japanese Vice Admiral Kurita, including the world’s
mightiest dreadnaught YAMATO. All Sprague possessed to challenge the
enemy was a motley force of escort carriers, dubbed “baby flattops”,
along with 3 destroyers, and 4 smaller destroyer escorts.
The American’s original mission off Samar Island had not been to fight
the main Japanese fleet. Admiral Sprague was supporting General
Macarthur’s landing force at Leyte which totaled 700 transports and 4
Army divisions. Admiral Halsey’s 3rd Fleet, with 15 fleet carriers and
10 fast battleships was far to the north at Cape Engano, chasing what he
thought were Jap carriers loaded with planes. Instead he was pursuing
empty decoys.
Through miscommunication, Halsey had left the approaches to Samar
unguarded. Both Kurita and Sprague were surprised at each other’s force,
yet it was the Americans who reacted first. Ordering his carriers into
the screen of a nearby rain squall, Sprague sent his destroyers, and
what aircraft he possessed to attack the Japanese behemoths, all the
while radioing frantically for aid. To the Americans it seemed a
hopeless, futile effort.
Kurita began his attack with his mighty surface warships. Earlier he had
vowed to “break into Leyte Gulf and fight to the last man”. Yet he had
become unnerved from constant air attacks on his forces, already losing
the battleship MUSASHI, sister ship to YAMATO. Now under pressure from
what he thought was Halsey’s entire fleet, Kurita’s courage failed.
Sprague felt his tiny ships could not last another 5 minutes. Already he
had lost a carrier to gunfire, as well as 3 destroyers launching
suicidal torpedo attacks against the enemy. Then, what Sprague described
as “the definite partiality of Almighty God” took place. In the face of
victory the invincible Japanese fleet began to retreat. Constant and
desperate air strikes had gotten the best of Kurita, proving the day of
the battleship was certainly passed. Japan had become so enamored to her
monuments of another era; they refused to risk them in a desperate
battle. With the passing of the dreadnaughts, so passed the dream of
empire and glory for the Japanese Navy.
SEA SITES
The Battleships Page
http://www.battleship.org/index.htm
HMS Victoria Discovered
http://www.cdnn.info/industry/i040903c/i040903c.html
LCS Photos
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/lcs-pics.htm
Sikorsky S-92 Helicopter
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/s-92-pics.htm
My Other Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/precisionstrike/?yguid=143058446
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