NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: If you want to TAG, please use the thread tools. Thank you.

***

“Well, we have SEAL teams training with their IDF counterparts at Hurghada, and the troopers of the 927th Corps have been down as far as Bir Shalatein, but we only have twenty-two reports of incidents. Considering how many ships crews and troopers we’re talking about, that’s very minor.”
“Well, they are Vastivan.”
“True, sir. Perhaps that’s why they agreed to this training exercise.”
“Possibly. XO, briefing.”

The tall officer tapped on his laptop; the table sprung to holographic life.

“It’s a simple exercise. IDF surface ships are going to set out from Aqaba and their submarines from Sharm El Sheikh. Our surface ships will begin near Aden, and submarines will deploy from Mocha. The objective is for our surface vessels to find their subs and prevent them from leaving the Red Sea, defined as 12’30” degrees latitude. Theirs is to find ours before they can get north of Uyun Musa.”

“Forces?”

“We’ve both agreed to limit our fleets and discount any land-based assets, as well as any permanently emplaced oceanic defenses. We both get to use drones to record the process, but the ones used to record can’t be used to detect. The fiddling is in the hard copy.” He touched a key.

“Submarine forces on both sides to be mixed diesel and nuclear, with at least five diesels. At least five of the submarines have to be SSGNs. Submarines cannot be used to find other submarines. Submarines are “killed” with a directed triple ping, following gaining a shooting solution on the boat. They must surface directly afterwards. Surface ships will have to endure a similar method for being disabled, but the game is evasion. A submarine pinging will show up quickly enough.”

He touched another. “Both fleet commanders may choose a total of twenty surface ships as the hunters, not including support ships which may not actively participate. One carrier maximum, we’ve announced we’re using the Argotha.”
“A deGaulle?” The Admiral stroked his chin. “That would make it look bad on the IDF if they used anything bigger.”
“But of course.” The XO smiled easily before continuing. “The fleet may deploy as it wishes, but we may not go north of Jiddah, and they may not go south of 20’ latitude.”
“Time limits?”
“It’s a five day operation in theater, with fleets having a one hour delay after submarine launches.”
“More then adequate, considering the distances. What are the projections?”
The XO cleared his throat. “Officially?”
“Unofficially.”
“We’re going to get our heads handed to us, but we should be able to get a few over the line. The Pierponts have the best chance, then the Kilos. If a Slinger makes it over…”
“You’ll lose a wager?”
The XO smiled again. “Well, aye sir.”
“Who did you bet?”
“Captain Zeiss.”
“Tableau?”
“Aye, sir.”
“You might lose. Buck is one of our better. He requested the transfer to a Slinger, from one of the Seawolves.”
The XO blanched a bit. “I wasn’t aware…”
“I do hope the wager wasn’t… excessive.” The Admiral nodded. “I’ll have a fleet roster in the morning. Who will be running the drill opposite?”
“We don’t know yet, sir. You’re supposed to meet for lunch tomorrow, to discuss and finalize the wargame.”
“Very well. Take the rest of the night off, gentlemen. We’ll assemble at 0800 for first briefing.”
A chorus of “Aye-aye, sir!” accompanied the Admiral departing the bridge.

25 miles south of Eliat, Red Sea
The IDF 4th SUBRON sailed out of the Sinai Canal base only 8 hours earlier. They were the top IDF Submarine group and one that had a blood battle every year for who got to be named the E boat. Leading the pack of SSNs was Commdander Hyman G. Rickover III and his ISS Halibut SSN-841, 1st ship of the Halibut class. Following his boat was another Halibut, 2 Galaxys, 2 Seawolves, 1 688i boat, and the newest sub in the fleet, the ISS Scorpion, 1st of the Scorpion class SSNs. From the 2nd SUBRON came the 5 Ohio SSGNs and IDF's only diesel boats to participate, the 4 Kilo SSKs out of Haifa.

Trailing them was the single surface group, The ISS Shiloh, a de Gaulle class CVN loaded with F-35Cs and an E-2C was the flagship. Her escorts included 1 Cherokee arsenal ship, 2 Ticonderoga II CGs, 1 Ilan Ramon DDG, 2 Farragat DDGs, 3 Arleigh Burke flight IIA DDGs, and 4 Chicago class FFGs that would run the outer barrier of the group. Every ship from the Ticos on down had 1 or 2 SH-60B LAMPS III ASW choppers. Tailing along would be 3 high speed supply ships.

At 0800, the Halibut made her move as Commander Rickover rigged his ship for dive and then had her head for 400 feet. The other subs followed and went to their waypoint where they split up. All eyes would be on the small ISS SCORPION, this wargame would be the true test of her abilities. Rickover had made a wager with Admiral Jacobson, CinC of the IDF Navy that if he made 3 kills, he would be promoted to Captain 2nd rank. He was yearning for the silver eagle that would come with that rank.

OOC: we are ready to begin, so please post your fleet size and lets roll.

Vastivan preparations had been much along the lines of their IDF counterparts. There had been some dithering over the IDF request to replace a diesel boat with their new Scorpion class SSN, which Admiral Gurgi Mesfin al-Din had “finally and graciously” allowed -- in return for a copy of the sonar responses in the initial tests of the Scorpion, “just to make things interesting”.

For that matter, it would have been interesting to put in some of their new Noah ASW Ekranoplans, but none of them were in the IDF theater.

Each ship capable carried one to two SH-60R LAMPS III ASW Seahawks; in addition, the Argotha carried two E-2C+ backed by 20 S-3B Vikings, 10 Sinker ASW UAV, 8 F-125 Gyrafalcons, and 2 ES-3A Shadows, plus an additional six SH-60Rs. There had been some discussion about the load out of the carrier, but as the mission was to find subs – and not shoot up the other fleet – it was decided to take advantage where advantage lay. Due to this exchange with elements of the 2nd Fleet, the “Red Search Fleet” set out a full two hours after the submarines had cast off and swam towards their goal.

Whether this would mean anything to the mission would yet to be seen.

***

(The numbers, important characters/vessels noted, updated as needed)

"Red Search Fleet"

VSS Argotha (DeGaulle CVN)
Fleet Admiral Gurgi Mesfin al-Din
2 Ticonderoga II CGN
1 Kirov CGN
5 Arleigh Burke DDG
3 Farrgut DDG
2 Chicago FFG
6 Oliver Hazard Perry FFG

Submarines:
5 Pierpont SSN
5 Slinger SSGN
VSS Fandance
VSS Tableau, Captain “Buck” Zeiss
5 Kilo SSK
VSS Capzasin

OOC: since your RPing the attacking force here, I think you should make the 1st move. Something along the lines of a simulated attack on a freighter.

OOC: since your RPing the attacking force here, I think you should make the 1st move. Something along the lines of a simulated attack on a freighter.

OOC: *snark* Uhm, IDF, it's not an attack, it's a "hunt the subs" routine, more of a race. Have a good read of my first post. Our fleets can't even make contact with each other. And considering that, methinks my air corps is going to be doing better then yours for this simulation. ;)

And as I sent you all that info before you said to start... you really can't say you weren't informed.

***

IC: The submarines had broken into three attack groups and two "solos" in an attempt to draw the IDF fleet the wrong way on a contact. "A" group headed along the eastern shore, its decoy Kilo remaining in relatively shallow water while two Pierponts shadowed its course twenty-five nautical miles to the southeast. Group "A"s Slinger was another twenty nautical miles behind that, under the thermal but listening for strike orders.

Group "C" held further out from the western shore. A single Slinger lead the crawl in deep water, followed by a Kilo with a Pierpont sitting higher in the water - and farther west - to draw off hunters.

Group "B" was moving straight up the middle in a modified "W" formation, setting a Slinger in the center at great depth, the two Kilos and two Pierponts running higher and fanned at twenty to thirty nautical miles out.

The solo "fleets" - a Kilo and a Slinger - had waited, and ran behind the Group fleets. VSS Fandance had the unenviable job of acting as a true scapegoat; she was to surface and lay a missile pattern on the IDF group on a known contact ahead - a mission which would certainly get her seen and caught.

VSS Capzasin had other ideas, and swam through the thermal layer with her own plans.