the last Light Aircraft Carrier

[Matt Wiser]

Yorktown was CG-48...GDW didn't correct the mistake in RDF Sourcebook. CG-42-46 were not used, though CGN-42 was an unbuilt Virginia class CGN with AEGIS, and canceled without being named or laid down.

There is a Challenge Magazine article which covers the New Jersey Coast, and it mentions two Forrest Sherman class DDs operating out of Cape May USCG base.

[raketenjagdpanzer]

Part of the treasure haul I'm slowly liberating from a comic/game store 'round these parts (I only have so much allowance per week ) includes a stack of Challenge magazines, which I may already have in .pdf format, I'll have to check. But if, unlike in the case of AD&D where Dragon (and Dungeon) magazines were decidedly not rules canon (until or unless they were made part of the rules by publication in an official rulebook vis Unearthed Arcana), Challenge is canon, then there might be a bolstering of US Naval strength noted in the magazine, with the 2 Forrest Sherman DDs in use being an example.

[Olefin]

FYI per Marc Miller some of Challenge is canon - the articles written by GDW staff definitely were canon - but he said some of the material submitted by non-GDW wasnt unless a canon author later referred to it or used it

[raketenjagdpanzer]

Well there's some good article-fodder right there: a definitive index of what T2k articles in Challenge are, in fact, canon.

[Olefin]

Well there's some good article-fodder right there: a definitive index of what T2k articles in Challenge are, in fact, canon.

agreed

although some are obvious - i.e. some of what went in Challenge eventually went into the V2 and V2.2 - i.e. most of the new vehicles for instance

[.45cultist]

That was my position, then they countered with "We will move it around with tugs like the Wisla Krolowa, steam driven".

I have my hands full with these guys, all a bit too smart for their britches but at least they keep me on my toes.

Never underestimate PC's! Make them work to come up with the materials and skilled labor for the tugs! Make the amount needed unavailable, but reward them with a couple of tugs, barges.

[Olefin]

Bringing back an old thread from the dead about the Oklahoma City and the Cabot - I think the question on those two ships is really what was more important to the USN if they did try to bring either back - both would need parts so it may be a question of does the navy want a light cruiser or a helicopter carrier

Between the two ships and the Little Rock which is anchored at Buffalo there would be enough parts to possibly get one or both of them back up and running.

Of the two Cabot is in the better condition as she was in commission as recent as 1989 whereas Oklahoma City has been in reserve since 1979.

Cabot cant operate modern jet planes that take off and land conventionally but she could operate helicopters or jump jets.

Oklahoma City still has her old guns so in an era where missiles are in short supply she still has formidable fire power so she can reach out and touch someone who only has 5 inch guns.

Both of their hulls and engines were in good shape

Thus either of them being brought back to the Navy is real possibility - the question is more which of the two would give the best bang for the Navy

I would think the biggest point that supports Cabot is her ability to be an aircraft transport - and given the losses the USN took in carriers she could be a way to get helos back home from Europe if she was still around by the end of the war

[Raellus]

I would think the biggest point that supports Cabot is her ability to be an aircraft transport - and given the losses the USN took in carriers she could be a way to get helos back home from Europe if she was still around by the end of the war

Would the Cabot have been sold back to the USA by Spain in 1989 if the Cold War hadn't ended (in the v1 timeline) If the Cold War had continued, I can see NATO pressuring Spain to keep her in service, perhaps even subsidizing her operating costs. Another way of the looking at it, though, is that if the Cold War had continued, Spain would have invested in a newer carrier to replace the aging Cabot/Dedalo, making the Cabot surplus to requirements and increasing the likelihood that it would be sold back to the USA.

Anyway, if she did end up back in US service, I can see the Cabot or her afore-mentioned sister ships as being useful earlier in the war as a convoy escort, flying ASW helicopters (probably Sea Kings and/or Sea Sprites taken out of mothballs).

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[Olefin]

Would the Cabot have been sold back to the USA by Spain in 1989 if the Cold War hadn't ended (in the v1 timeline) If the Cold War had continued, I can see NATO pressuring Spain to keep her in service, perhaps even subsidizing her operating costs. Another way of the looking at it, though, is that if the Cold War had continued, Spain would have invested in a newer carrier to replace the aging Cabot/Dedalo, making the Cabot surplus to requirements and increasing the likelihood that it would be sold back to the USA.

Anyway, if she did end up back in US service, I can see the Cabot or her afore-mentioned sister ships as being useful earlier in the war as a convoy escort, flying ASW helicopters (probably Sea Kings and/or Sea Sprites taken out of mothballs).

-

I think thats the real question - in our timeline the Spanish built a replacement and retired the Dedalo which is how she ended up back in the US. But a V1 timeline where the Cold War never ended may have had her stay in reserve in Spain - in which case then it would be Oklahoma City that comes back from mothballs most likely.

The rest of the CVL's were long gone by either timeline - but given the losses to carriers the US took it would be very tempting to get her back into service at the very least to be an ASW or assault carrier - or even an aircraft transport.

[shrike6]

The Cabot could have also have been used as an aircraft ferry ala USNS Card during the Vietnam war.

[Olefin]

The Cabot could have also have been used as an aircraft ferry ala USNS Card during the Vietnam war.

Thats what I was thinking too - i.e. say you get her back in shape by 1996/early 1997 - you need to move helos to somewhere like Panama - the air transport fleet is going to be pretty busy by then. So what is a great way to get say a dozen Huey's down there or a half dozen UH-60's Answer load them on Cabot and fly them off her deck.

And her engines were old WWII engines and the fuel she burns is a lot more available than using a crap load of jet fuel to fly them down a couple at a time. Let alone the wear and tear on the air frames of the transports.

[shrike6]

As far as the CLG-9 is concerned I don't see it being viable to reactivate. No other ships use 6" guns. So you're either going to have to start an assembly line for just 6' ammo for a single ship or replace that turret with other armaments. Lets not forget about the thing that makes it a CLG the Talos missile launcher. The last time a Talos missile was fired was by the OKC herself 18 years before. So that system needs to be replaced. Let alone that you need to replace some of the bofors with phalanx to give it some kind of close in defense.

[Olefin]

As far as the CLG-9 is concerned I don't see it being viable to reactivate. No other ships use 6" guns. So you're either going to have to start an assembly line for just 6' ammo for a single ship or replace that turret with other armaments. Lets not forget about the thing that makes it a CLG the Talos missile launcher. The last time a Talos missile was fired was by the OKC herself 18 years before. So that system needs to be replaced. Let alone that you need to replace some of the bofors with phalanx to give it some kind of close in defense.

And got me - unless someone else on the forum knows - if there is still any 6 inch ammo in stock that the USN has that is available

They would have had whatever was on her when they decommissioned her in 1979- but would the USN have held onto any remaining stores The only other countries that would have had ammunition would have been the few countries still operating the old Brooklyn class CL's - but got me what Argentina, Brazil and Chile still have in stock for 6 inch ammo since even their ships were out of commission by the time of the Twilight War

[rcaf_777]

Another Idea

[CDAT]

And got me - unless someone else on the forum knows - if there is still any 6 inch ammo in stock that the USN has that is available

They would have had whatever was on her when they decommissioned her in 1979- but would the USN have held onto any remaining stores The only other countries that would have had ammunition would have been the few countries still operating the old Brooklyn class CL's - but got me what Argentina, Brazil and Chile still have in stock for 6 inch ammo since even their ships were out of commission by the time of the Twilight War

When I was in EOD school, they brought out all sorts of ammo that was still in storage that we no longer had weapons to use, for us to train with. So I can not say 6" for sure, but I would not be surprised. We got a 8" round to practice cutting into, and according to Wikipedia it was last in service in 1975.