Sorry for the separate thread; but this is going to be a fairly complicated and image heavy so I figured it was justified. I recently picked up Fleet Command on Steam, with some fond memories of watching my Uncle play it; the game is almost as old as me so I had some reservations - but it plays fantastic (and much better than Arctic Circle). I've taken a few weekends to get used to everything and now that I have a good grasp of the mechanics I'm diving into one of the more complicated scenarios.
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May 2nd, 1982: The Naval Action that Never Was
What if the ARA Belgrano was not intercepted?
On May 2nd, 1982 the ARA General Belgrano was sunk; the first and only shot fired in anger by a nuclear attack submarine to date. The resulting controversy, political uproar and blow to morale saw the remaining Argentine Navy return to port to avoid any further mass loss of life. This certainly was a decisive factor in the liberation of the Falkland Islands; greatly limiting hostile on-station time over the British Task Group.
What would have resulted, however, if the Argentinian task group had slipped past their shadowing submarines? This scenario in Jane’s Fleet Command puts myself in the shoes of Rear Admiral Woodward, the commander of the British carrier battlegroup.
Background and Forces
The situation is a true tactical dilemma for me; the RN is fighting a war it was not doctrinally prepared for: fighting well outside the NATO support that would normally fill in gaps in our own capabilities. My ship-to-ship capability is limited; I am largely bereft of close-in point defense weaponry and my anti-air capability is entrusted to systems that are starting to show their age. Most dangerous of all however, is the total lack of Airborne Early Warning (AWACs). I must rely on Combat Air Patrols (CAPs), and their limited radar coverage and loiter time. I am essentially blind unless I am willing to give away the position of my capital ships. Only I can lose the war for the Falklands in a single morning.
My forces are not totally hopeless however – I have two Carriers at my disposal, both equipped with the excellent Harrier jet; and while my equipment may be lacking and dated, the same rings true for my opponents. Their single carrier shares the disadvantage of limited deck space with mine own, and are even worse off in fleet air; equipped with the obsolete Skyhawk. While the Argentinians have the advantage of land-based fighters -including the formidable French and Israeli fighters - the distances are extreme, and I doubt their ability to co-ordinate attacks from land and sea in three separate directions at the same time. On the islands themselves, I can expect only light aircraft, but they remain a threat regardless. Finally, the Argentinian surface fleet is largely a museum; their destroyers and single cruiser being mostly surplus WWII American designs with limited anti-air capabilities. They have modified some of their ships to fire Ship-to-Ship missiles (SSMs); the ever famous Exocets, so their age will matter for little if my own Carriers are burning wrecks when they close the distance.
Two stand-outs in the Argentine fleet are also of note; they have a pair of Type 42 destroyers, relatively modern and contemporary (I myself have a few in my battlegroup) and these will certainly be acting as anti-air assets for their carrier.
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More to follow (and with far less text
)
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May 2nd, 1982: The Naval Action that Never Was
What if the ARA Belgrano was not intercepted?
What would have resulted, however, if the Argentinian task group had slipped past their shadowing submarines? This scenario in Jane’s Fleet Command puts myself in the shoes of Rear Admiral Woodward, the commander of the British carrier battlegroup.
Background and Forces
The situation is a true tactical dilemma for me; the RN is fighting a war it was not doctrinally prepared for: fighting well outside the NATO support that would normally fill in gaps in our own capabilities. My ship-to-ship capability is limited; I am largely bereft of close-in point defense weaponry and my anti-air capability is entrusted to systems that are starting to show their age. Most dangerous of all however, is the total lack of Airborne Early Warning (AWACs). I must rely on Combat Air Patrols (CAPs), and their limited radar coverage and loiter time. I am essentially blind unless I am willing to give away the position of my capital ships. Only I can lose the war for the Falklands in a single morning.
My forces are not totally hopeless however – I have two Carriers at my disposal, both equipped with the excellent Harrier jet; and while my equipment may be lacking and dated, the same rings true for my opponents. Their single carrier shares the disadvantage of limited deck space with mine own, and are even worse off in fleet air; equipped with the obsolete Skyhawk. While the Argentinians have the advantage of land-based fighters -including the formidable French and Israeli fighters - the distances are extreme, and I doubt their ability to co-ordinate attacks from land and sea in three separate directions at the same time. On the islands themselves, I can expect only light aircraft, but they remain a threat regardless. Finally, the Argentinian surface fleet is largely a museum; their destroyers and single cruiser being mostly surplus WWII American designs with limited anti-air capabilities. They have modified some of their ships to fire Ship-to-Ship missiles (SSMs); the ever famous Exocets, so their age will matter for little if my own Carriers are burning wrecks when they close the distance.
Two stand-outs in the Argentine fleet are also of note; they have a pair of Type 42 destroyers, relatively modern and contemporary (I myself have a few in my battlegroup) and these will certainly be acting as anti-air assets for their carrier.
----
More to follow (and with far less text
)
