International Martime Choke Points

[Olefin]

There is also the Suez Canal - and while there is no attack on the Canal itself there were attacks that caused it to be blocked according to the East Africa Sourcebook that is now canon - similar attacks could have blocked the exits of the Panama Canal

"Cairo, Suez and Alexandria are left in ruins by multiple strikes against the major refineries in those cities. While the Suez Canal is not directly targeted in the attack, the nuclear strikes on the refineries at Suez effectively block the southern end of the Canal with the wrecks of several merchant ships and tankers. Over three million Egyptians die in the attacks and another two million are severely wounded."

The canal was blocked for nearly three years until the French cleared the wrecks enough in the late summer of 2000 to get it open again

and the Panama Canal is very important to the US - most likely there would still be US forces in Panama even in 2000

in fact that might be where the Virginia was headed when she had her last battle a la Satellite Down

[Olefin]

And posted in another thread today - so that definitely says that the Canal is both still operational and in US hands as late as March 1999 - and since nuke attacks had ceased by then and the Soviet Navy was pretty much gone it sounds like its still a going concern

"V1 canon tells us (in Satellite Down) that
The Panama Canal was not hit in the initial TDM period (USS Virginia passed through it in December 1997)
The Panama Canal was still operational in March 1999 (USS Virginia was ordered to pass through it to get to the Atlantic).

Uncle Ted"

[Silent Hunter UK]

Suez itself was blocked by Egypt from 1967 to 1975. Not have it open adds considerable journey time for anyone heading from Europe to the Far East.

[WallShadow]

Are we handwaving at the traditional chokepoints Like the English Channel, Straits of Gibraltar, the passage between Sicily/Malta/Pantelleria/Tunisia, South Africa's Capetown and Port Elizabeth, between the northern tip of Queensland and Southern Papua/New Guinea, off Natal and Recife,Brazil and off Conakry and Bissau on the West African coasts.

[dragoon500ly]

The major question is just how many mines the Soviet Navy can emplace.

[dragoon500ly]

Mine warfare, Soviet style

Primary source is The Guide to the Soviet Navy, Fourth Edition by Norman Polmar.

The Soviet Navy maintains the world's largest mine warfare forces, with a larger mine stockpile, a greater insulating capability and at least quantitatively a much more capable mine counter-measures capability than any other nation.

In addition to its three minelayers, several Soviet surface combatant classes are configured to lay mines as are their bomber aircraft and maritime patrol aircraft. All Soviet combat submarines can also lay mines.

The large force of surface mine counter-measures craft are supplemented by specialized minesweeping helicopters of the Mi-8 and Mi-14 types. In addition to their mine warfare capabilities, most Soviet minesweepers are equipped with defensive armament and a ASW capability, permitting them to be used as escorts, even with sweep gear installed. Most are also capable of carrying small amounts of mines, both for laying practice mines or defensive minelaying.

The Soviet Navy is estimated to maintain a stock of between 350,000-400,000 naval mines. While some of these mines date back to World War II, most are newer weapons. Among these are several deep-water types, capable of being planted in depths of at least 3,000ft. These mines are fitted with passive acoustic detection and, like the U.S. Mk-60 CAPTOR mine, release an ASW weapon that homes on submarine targets.

The Soviets have also developed influence mines of all types; homing mines, rising mines, and remotely controlled mines. Minelaying is exercised by naval aviation, surface ships and submarines.

[Olefin]

Suez itself was blocked by Egypt from 1967 to 1975. Not have it open adds considerable journey time for anyone heading from Europe to the Far East.

Thats why the French clearing away the wrecks of the sunken ships in 2000 so the Canal was open for business again was so important to them. With the deployment into Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait it was vital that they have the Canal open again to support that effort. You can see why they absorbed Djibouti into the French Union - gives them basically permanent control of one end of the Red Sea and the perfect base for supporting traffic going to and from the Canal.

[pmulcahy11b]

The Soviets have also developed influence mines of all types; homing mines, rising mines, and remotely controlled mines. Minelaying is exercised by naval aviation, surface ships and submarines.

The Soviets/Russians and the US, and I would guess China (though I have no hard evidence on the Chinese) have nuclear sea mines and nuclear torpedoes and nuclear antiship missiles and SSMs, which are to be used to destroy large ships like aircraft carriers and boomers, as well as seaports and facilities like the Panama and Suez canals, and the dikes in the Netherlands. I don't know what the stock of these weapons is like now, but I'll bet that both sides have a good supply.

[dragoon500ly]

The Soviets/Russians and the US, and I would guess China (though I have no hard evidence on the Chinese) have nuclear sea mines and nuclear torpedoes and nuclear antiship missiles and SSMs, which are to be used to destroy large ships like aircraft carriers and boomers, as well as seaports and facilities like the Panama and Suez canals, and the dikes in the Netherlands. I don't know what the stock of these weapons is like now, but I'll bet that both sides have a good supply.

Not even counting the nukes, but at the height of the Cold War, the Soviets were conservatively estimated at maintaining about 6 to 7 times the stocks of the U.S. . Soviet writings indicated that these mines would be used offensively to blockade NATO ports, restrict shipping lanes and choke points, and to seal off the North and Baltic Seas. Defensively, mines would be used to restrict approaches to Warsaw Pact ports, provide bastions to allow Soviet conventional subs safe places to recharge and most importantly to seal off Arctic waters and allow Soviet boomers safe havens from NATO subs...not to mention freeing up their own subs for anti-convoy duties.

While NATO had a qualitative edge in ASW, the Soviets had a quantitative edge that would have made the naval battles of World War III sheer, bloody, hell.