Gulf/Caribbean Naval Activity?

[dragoon500ly]

But in an emergency, she could be used as a floating base for a unit of attack helicopters; I am not talking as a permanent base, but for use for a few days to a week in a comparatively low threat environment - the Mexican Navy air units and Mexican air force do not seem well equipped for anti-ship combat. Add 2 modern frigates to ward off the Mexican Navy's surface craft, and you have a one-shot force to assault the Gulf of Mexico flank of the Mexican advance for a few days, that then retreats to New Orleans for fuel/restock...

Uncle Ted

No doubt; but it all comes down to what choppers are carried. Army birds lack the take down/folding features of naval/marine birds; anyone remember the fun when they tried basing a ranger company and attached CH47 and UH60 choppers on the Thedore Roosevelt You also have the problem of salt water corrosion. Army birds do not have the same level of protection as the navy/marine choppers. So what attack birds carried will most likely be limited to Cobras.

[Olefin]

Well, the USS Lexington is home ported out of Pensacola, Florida in the pre war era. And she is a flight deck...BUT... she has no aircraft support capabilities or other features that would permit her to operate in a combat role. She has been stripped of all armament and fire control equipment and operates only navigation and a single air search radar. Her magazines have been emptied and filled with concrete ballast. Her port deck-edge elevator has been deactivated and forms a permament part of the flight deck (yes they did weld it in place).

Her sole mission is to serve as a seagoing platform for landings and takeoffs by pilots from the Pensacola flight school, she is reported to maintain some aircraft refueling capability, but this supply does not consist of more than a few thousand gallons, their are no aircraft maintanance facilities operational.

During the Reagan era, the Navy sought to reactivate the Hancock-class carriers. Congress refused to fund this reactivation due to the poor material condition and lack of suitable combat aircraft that can operate from their flight decks (during the Vietnam War the supported F-8/A-4 squadrons, being too small to operate the F-4s). The best material condition of the three Hancocks (Lexington) is operated as a training carrier.

The Lexington would have to be extensively modernized and refitted in order to operate in a combat environment...at best her air group would have to consist of Harriers and helicopters. And in the Twilight War....it is doubtful that this would be done.

Actually the Lexington, the Wisconsin and her surface action group were all originally supposed to be based at NAVSTA Ingleside at Corpus Christi - the end of the Cold War changed the decision but here that didnt happen.

Thus you would have Lexington, the Wisconsin, a Ticonderoga cruiser, a Kidd destroyer or a Flight I Arleigh Burke destoyer, a Spruance destroyer, three Oliver Hazard Perry frigates and probably a fleet oiler would have been based there.

That happened after the Caribbean module was written meaning that most likely the battleship that took down the Kirov was the Wisconsin and not the New Jersey. By the time Corpus Christi got nuked most likely all those ships would have been on overseas duty - with most of them sunk or damaged already

[raketenjagdpanzer]

I realize it's not Canon, but in my Twilight: Florida vision the Saratoga has a major shoot out with the Russians in the FL straits, loses much of her air compliment, takes an ASM hit but manages to limp in to Key West where she is permanently docked, and will not sail again until extensive repairs are done. Her Sick bay, machine shops, power plants and more importantly manpower keep Key West safe and in MilGov hands. Her helos do very limited flights, and her offloaded remaining fixed-wing aircraft reside at Key West NAS, with two F18s deployed north to Homestead AFB, where there is a reserve of AvGas which allows short sorties on alert.

Her E2C Hawkeye aircraft are an invaluable resource in hurricane tracking (when they can fly).

[WallShadow]

"Based at Key West, Florida are 6 PHMs of PHM Squadron 2."

One wonders if the Conch Republic Navy "nationalizes" the military/Coast Guard assets to add to their own vessels

http://www.conchrepublic.com/the_beginning.htm

[unkated]

I realize it's not Canon, but in my Twilight: Florida vision the Saratoga has a major shoot out with the Russians in the FL straits.

Considering the location of the Florida Straits.... one asks why

Why would Saratoga be anywhere near toe to toe distance for a shoot out.

Any Russian vessels in the Florida straits can be assaulted with land-based air assets. Even Saratoga's air assets can be land-based, and Saratoga herself kept away from trouble.

My favorite is a squadron of P-3s carrying 4 Harpoons apiece stood off some 60-70 nm or more; they can be back in a few hours if needed with a next strike, and that's before you ask for USAF assets. For close and dirty, A-10s flying at wavetop, missiles followed by strafing (see Hunt for Red October)

Uncle Ted