General Discussion Thread

[Matryoshka]

15 hits on 9 ships from ~30 torpedoes fired. Nobody had any idea whose torpedo did what because they were cutting wires and letting them run on program.

Also, there were three collisions just after the torpedoes went active.

I’d believe it: it was hardly the time to be personalising the addressing on all those fish, so they just slapped stickers on ’em that said “Dear occupant” or “To whom it may concern”....

[Poohbah]

15 hits on 9 ships from ~30 torpedoes fired. Nobody had any idea whose torpedo did what because they were cutting wires and letting them run on program.

Also, there were three collisions just after the torpedoes went active.

I’d believe it: it was hardly the time to be personalising the addressing on all those fish, so they just slapped stickers on ’em that said “Dear occupant” or “To whom it may concern”....

I still look at their landing plan, and I simply cannot make sense of it. They didn't have enough bodies to secure Vancouver Island first and then go for SeaTac, so they committed themselves to a suicide run down Juan de Fuca, and the survivors found themselves in unfamiliar waters, hemmed in by terrain, and suddenly in a dozen knife fights with the Navy and the Army, with the RNZAF, RCAF, and USAF showing up to deliver mayhem, turning right back around to Whidbey and McChord to rearm/refuel, and doing it over again.

It wasn't even, to borrow the title of Russell Spurr's magisterial history of Yamato's last sortie, a glorious way to die.

[Matt Wiser]

And I, for one, would love to know who was behind this asinine plan. Was it Commander Soviet Pacific Fleet, TVD, or someone in Moscow? Or a combination of all of the above?

[jemhouston]

15 hits on 9 ships from ~30 torpedoes fired. Nobody had any idea whose torpedo did what because they were cutting wires and letting them run on program.

Also, there were three collisions just after the torpedoes went active.

I’d believe it: it was hardly the time to be personalising the addressing on all those fish, so they just slapped stickers on ’em that said “Dear occupant” or “To whom it may concern”....

I was wondering what was going through the three skippers when they were told, "Before you go to deep water, stay in the strait, figure out where the enemy is, then put fishes down their *^&%^% throats."

[Poohbah]

15 hits on 9 ships from ~30 torpedoes fired. Nobody had any idea whose torpedo did what because they were cutting wires and letting them run on program.

Also, there were three collisions just after the torpedoes went active.

I’d believe it: it was hardly the time to be personalising the addressing on all those fish, so they just slapped stickers on ’em that said “Dear occupant” or “To whom it may concern”....

I was wondering what was going through the three skippers when they were told, "Before you go to deep water, stay in the strait, figure out where the enemy is, then put fishes down their *^&%^% throats."

They were the last three boats to get underway. Once the landing force got to the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, that was going to be that--so the plan for developed right there on Delta Pier by COMSUBRON 10 and the skippers of the Ohio, Georgia, and Alaska. When they heard that the State Guard would be using Citizens Band radio to track and report the invasion force, the skipper of the Alaska said something about the situation being more of Breaker One-Nine than Breaker Morant, and thus the operation got its code name.

The plan was stunningly simple, unlike the Soviet plan. Once the enemy force got to a certain point as reported by CB or the Coast Guard VTS, set the fish to go active at a certain point, put them in the water, cut the wires, and then turn east and head for the Georgia Strait to wait it out. After that, it was a matter of vectors and letting the torpedoes do their thing.

One observer after the battle described it as maritime guerrilla warfare. Another said it was just using the boomers as a wolfpack, and concluded, "Somewhere, the ghost of Karl Doenitz is saying, 'you dumbfucks, what did you expect?'"

USS Georgia, a couple years later, adopted Steve Earle's Copperhead Road as their getting underway song. "I learned a few things from Charlie, don't you know, you'd better stay away from Copperhead Road."

[Wolfman]

I’m sure Doenitz was laughing his ass off in the afterlife at the incident.

[jemhouston]

Charles Lockwood would be thinking with a large grin on his face, "That's my boys."

SSBN always claimed they had the best torpedo rooms in the fleet. They had chance to show it.

[Poohbah]

You know, this would make a great word problem for math class:

"A Soviet amphibious force is headed east down the Strait of Juan de Fuca at 14 knots. Three Ohio-class submarines fire torpedoes westward at 15 nautical miles range. Assume a transit speed of 31 knots for the torpedoes. The torpedoes should go active 5nm from their targets to ensure maximum amounts of Hilarity Ensuing.

"1. What distance should the torpedoes be set to run in transit mode?

"2. What time hack from weapons away should fun commence?"

[Wolfman]

Charles Lockwood would be thinking with a large grin on his face, "That's my boys."

SSBN always claimed they had the best torpedo rooms in the fleet. They had chance to show it.

They showed it, all right.

[Poohbah]

Well, the other shoe has officially dropped.

The White House forwarded to the Senate today a list of nominees for the rank of major general/rear admiral (upper half).

And I'm on the list.

Looks like SAC HQ and Big Air Force really want me to take over Maj Gen Taldren's job (A-5, DCS/Plans).

[Wolfman]

So am I, for some reason or another…

[Poohbah]

So am I, for some reason or another…

I'm assuming the reason I'm on the list is administrative error.

[Wolfman]

So am I, for some reason or another…

I'm assuming the reason I'm on the list is administrative error.

You hope…

[Poohbah]

Well, Boss-Ma'am sat me down and had A Career Development Conversation with me.

Now, as Reservist with an anticipated pin-on date of September 2 for my second star, I can, if I wish, go back to the IRR and/or find myself a two-star billet in the drilling reserves (and there's actually, to my astonishment, about a dozen open billets available here and there in AFRES).

However...

I was strongly encouraged, as only the Boss-Ma'am can give said encouragement, to take either the A-5 slot here at Cheyenne, or to go to March and take the newly established Assistant DCS for Cyber Plans (A-5C) at SAC Headquarters. CINCSAC would be happy with either option.

And, as always...the Boss-Ma'am talked to Roberta first and got her concurrence before she ever approached me. (Am I that predictable in how I would react to this sort of thing?)

Boss-Ma'am then told me to route a leave request commencing on the 30th and going through the 15th, Roberta found an all-inclusive resort on Lake FDR and we're going to chill there for a while to discuss which offer to accept.

[jemhouston]

You and Roberta are a package deal. Having gotten past a major screwup in your relationship early on, you don't want to do another.

Besides convincing you to do the right thing is easier when Roberta is doing the talking.

[Wolfman]

Yes, Poohbah, you are that predictable about these sorts of things…

[Eaglenine2]

Question what happened to surviving PLAN ships after the nuclear attack?

[Poohbah]

Question what happened to surviving PLAN ships after the nuclear attack?

IIRC, they ended up coming in to Taiwanese ports, mostly.

[Wolfman]

How many of them did the ROCN bring into their service?

[jemhouston]

How many of them did the ROCN bring into their service?

All they could. Rumor had it CIA / DIA / ONI, Spec-Ops ran some for operations in the Far East. At least a few were in USSR.