Recommissioned US Navy ships

[Targan]

How about a list of all the subs the Soviets could try to get back from their client states

[Olefin]

That is a discussion for another thread - since this is recommissioned US Navy ships and not Soviet - but you have to look at who they sold them to - and remember that Iran is on the US side here as is China and Cuba has sat out the war

one big thing the US has going for it in general is how many older US naval vessels exist throughout not just the US in museums but worldwide compared to the Soviets

[Legbreaker]

Don't forget the Turks are on the front line of combat and are virtually surrounded by enemies on land and sea. They won't be giving up a single vessel, even if any survived against the combined Greek, Italian and Soviet naval forces brought to bear against them.
How do we know the Soviets didn't have vessels they could pull back into service They had T-34's in reserve right up until recently (may even still have some). Why would they not do the same with ships
To me the Soviets are more likely than the US to have vessels ready and able to be pulled back into service, and probably be able to do it quicker too!

[Olefin]

I was thinking more along the lines of US ships and Soviet ships in other country's navies that could be brought back to their respective navies but that is a good point.

And we know that both countries have been doing that - from the way Satellite Down is written it and also A Rock In Troubled Waters it is clear that both navies have been bringing older ships into play

i.e. the Forrest Sherman DD's mentioned in both modules are an example

and you have the Soviet destroyer Maskov mentioned as below in Satellite Down - and by the way I cant find any such named destroyer so it must be standing in for a real destroyer - from the description - i.e. all gun with a forward five inch turret it either had to be a Skoryy or a Kotlin class DD

Then the Soviet ship Maskov arrived in the area, and their attitude toward Brupp and the crew changed.

The Maskov was nothing more than a battered hulk of a
destroyer, brought out of mothballs in the last few months of
1998. Low on fuel and looking for a quick kill, the captain of
the ship learned of an American vessel supposedly operating
in the Gulf. These rumors helped him find the USS Virginia off
San Jose. On 4 May 1999, the Soviet vessel spotted the remains
of the Virginia in the distance. Thinking the ship was functional
and operational, it sped directly toward the scuttled ship,
firing wildly and almost blindly.

Brupp had managed to keep most of his ship's systems functioning.
The five-inch guns of the forward turret bore in on the
approaching Soviet vessel and cut it to shreds. The missiles that
the Maskov fired fell just short of their target, while the guns
of the beached Virginia fired on. Within a matter of minutes,
the aged Soviet destroyer blew apart, going down with all hands

[Olefin]

By the way - the CH-47 that is used at the end of Going Home to get the perimeter guards back does argue for a Tarawa size ship for it to land on or at least a helo platform a lot bigger than what is on a John Hancock

John Hancock was designed for helos half the size of a CH-47 - she couldnt land it

Tarawa could

[Legbreaker]

Hmm, missiles with a lesser range than guns...
Anyone else have trouble buying that

I'd be more inclined to believe the CIWS knocked the old missiles the Maskov carried out of the sky than them "falling short".

[Olefin]

now if she had missiles that were part of the ship (and not some kind of jury rigged missiles that had very short range (say a bunch of AT missiles they used as antiship missiles) then a Kildin or later class is possible

but you are right Legbreaker - no purpose designed naval missile had a smaller range than a 5 inch gun

[Legbreaker]

That could work too. A couple of AT-5's on the deck somewhere...

Of course we're totally ignoring the Virgina didn't even have CIWS before 1984, at which time it lost it's helicopter hangar and pad (rendering great swathes of the module incorrect). But who's to say in T2K it didn't keep some parts and gained others.
Could even be that with the lack of missiles, the pad was reinstated (the hangar itself was never removed).

[James Langham]

Ditching in the water might be the only option Actually alternatively landing on the deck of a cargo ship (the Royal Navy converted the Atlantic Conveyer into such a surrogate helicopter carrier for Chinooks in the Falklands - see the detail on Bravo November)

By the way - the CH-47 that is used at the end of Going Home to get the perimeter guards back does argue for a Tarawa size ship for it to land on or at least a helo platform a lot bigger than what is on a John Hancock

John Hancock was designed for helos half the size of a CH-47 - she couldnt land it

Tarawa could

[James Langham]

With the Virginia beached maybe it was targetting difficulties

Alternatively assume detection was short range for both (fairly likely), the Soviets fire but, Virginia fires destroying the Soviets and the missiles then go rogue

I was thinking more along the lines of US ships and Soviet ships in other country's navies that could be brought back to their respective navies but that is a good point.

And we know that both countries have been doing that - from the way Satellite Down is written it and also A Rock In Troubled Waters it is clear that both navies have been bringing older ships into play

i.e. the Forrest Sherman DD's mentioned in both modules are an example

and you have the Soviet destroyer Maskov mentioned as below in Satellite Down - and by the way I cant find any such named destroyer so it must be standing in for a real destroyer - from the description - i.e. all gun with a forward five inch turret it either had to be a Skoryy or a Kotlin class DD

Then the Soviet ship Maskov arrived in the area, and their attitude toward Brupp and the crew changed.

The Maskov was nothing more than a battered hulk of a
destroyer, brought out of mothballs in the last few months of
1998. Low on fuel and looking for a quick kill, the captain of
the ship learned of an American vessel supposedly operating
in the Gulf. These rumors helped him find the USS Virginia off
San Jose. On 4 May 1999, the Soviet vessel spotted the remains
of the Virginia in the distance. Thinking the ship was functional
and operational, it sped directly toward the scuttled ship,
firing wildly and almost blindly.

Brupp had managed to keep most of his ship's systems functioning.
The five-inch guns of the forward turret bore in on the
approaching Soviet vessel and cut it to shreds. The missiles that
the Maskov fired fell just short of their target, while the guns
of the beached Virginia fired on. Within a matter of minutes,
the aged Soviet destroyer blew apart, going down with all hands

[James1978]

SS Atlantic Conveyor

Ditching in the water might be the only option Actually alternatively landing on the deck of a cargo ship (the Royal Navy converted the Atlantic Conveyer into such a surrogate helicopter carrier for Chinooks in the Falklands - see the detail on Bravo November)

Aircraft Transport is probably a better description.

Think Defense has an interesting write-up on the conversion of Atlantic Conveyor during the Falklands War and includes pictures.

[Targan]

I'd be more inclined to believe the CIWS knocked the old missiles the Maskov carried out of the sky than them "falling short".

Makes sense.

[Rainbow Six]

Ditching in the water might be the only option Actually alternatively landing on the deck of a cargo ship (the Royal Navy converted the Atlantic Conveyer into such a surrogate helicopter carrier for Chinooks in the Falklands - see the detail on Bravo November)

I always thought landing on one of the cargo ships would be the most likely option.

[Legbreaker]

By the way - the CH-47 that is used at the end of Going Home to get the perimeter guards back does argue for a Tarawa size ship for it to land on or at least a helo platform a lot bigger than what is on a John Hancock

There is no reason to believe the CH-47 was to land on the USS John Hancock. In fact, as flagship and one of the few warship escorts (and the only one actually named, or even mentioned), it doesn't make much sense for it to hang about until the last minute instead of providing security and command where needed. Additionally, the rearguard is not going to include anyone needed or even desired to be on the flagship - they are probably composed of an infantry platoon under the command of a junior officer.

With most ships in the fleet requiring work to convert them to troop carriers, it's very probable a civilian cargo vessel was fitted with a suitable landing pad.

Therefore the existence of the CH-47 cannot be used as evidence to say the Tarawa was included. As discussed many times before, the assignment of the John Hancock as flagship is a strong indicator the Tarawa was not available.

[Adm.Lee]

With most ships in the fleet requiring work to convert them to troop carriers, it's very probable a civilian cargo vessel was fitted with a suitable landing pad.

IIRC from the example of the Atlantic Conveyor, a locked-down stack of containers can form a suitable landing pad...