T2K Naval War in the Pacific

[Raellus]

I'm attempting to describe the T2K naval war in the Pacific and I could use a little assistance. There's very little mention of the theatre in canon. If you know of any references, please let me know.

Here's what I could use help with. I'm having a hard time reconstructing the composition of the U.S. Pacific Fleet during the later years of the Cold War. I'd like to add verisimilitude to my account by including specific ship names and such.

Here's a very rough outline.



Timeline T2K Naval War in the Pacific

1995: Waiting Soviet SSNs sink Chinese SSBNs as the latter sallies forth following declaration of war. PRC nuclear second-strike capability badly depleted

Eschewing decades of strategic naval doctrine, powerful Soviet Pacific Fleet (SPF) battle group conducts audacious raid on Shanghai, showering port facilities with cruise missiles. Most of PLN surface fleet destroyed defending. SPF gains valuable operational experience.

SPF task force completes transfer of troops, SAMs/AAA and SPF surface elements to Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam.

Late 1996: Advised of strong possibility of war between USSR and USA, main force SPF returns to relative security of its bases (its primary mission is defense of such).

Dec. 19th, 2006. DPRK invades ROK. KPA Navy assists in landing commandos & launches raids and engages elements of ROKNAV before returning to port. Light ROKNAV losses; moderate KPA Navy losses.

Winter, 1997-1998: U.S. 7th Fleet arrives. Launches air raids against KPA navy facilities. Light USN/ROKNAV losses; KPA navy destroyed (except for a few lurking submarines, most of which are hunted down & destroyed with little to show for their sacrifice).

Provoked by KPA ballistic missile strikes on port facilities (aimed at disrupting flow of supplies and reinforcements to US forces, Korea), Japan declares war on North Korea; launches airstrikes on KPA missile launch sites near Wonson; sends JDF 1st Airborne Brigade to Korea (technically attached to UN forces, Korea).

Soviet submarines attack elements of 7th Fleet near Korea. Light USN losses. Intense ASW operations in Japanese Sea, Korean Strait, Yellow Sea, East China Sea. Moderate Soviet submarine losses.

Spring, 1996: 7th Fleet CVGB/CSG launches raid on Cam Ranh Bay. Light USN surface/sub force losses; heavy air group losses. Heavy Soviet air and naval losses.

Summer, 1997: 7th Fleet CSG, Expeditionary Strike Group (amphibs), and Battleship Battle Group support landing of 4th MarDiv and 6th ROK Marine Brigade "Black Dragon" south of Nampo, DPRK/Taedong River estuary. New Jersey and Iowa gunfire support proves invaluable in destroying KPA coastal artillery and anti-aircraft defenses. Light USN losses. Landing is successful, unhinging KPA's main line of resistance along the DMZ.

Late Summer, 1997: Soviet Yalu Front attacks U.S. 8th Army near Yalu River*

Battle of the Kuriles- Soviet Pacific Fleet makes feint at Kuriles, drawing out Japanese Fleet & U.S. CBG. Soviet naval aviation (mostly land-based Backfire bombers), submarines, and surface force inflict heavy losses on Allied force; Heavy Soviet air losses; moderate Soviet surface force losses.

Autumn, 1997: U.S.N. launches raids on Vladivostok. Heavy Soviet naval and air losses; heavy USN carrier air group losses; moderate USN surface losses.

*2/19/98: Sealift bearing 6th MarDiv badly depleted by Soviet commerce raiders;

Spring, 1998: Battle of Kamchatka- USN launches raids on Kamchatka SPF bases; Soviet Pacific Fleet sorties (supported by land-based air); general fleet engagement- heavy losses on both sides.

Summer, 1998: SPF essentially no longer exists; scattered Soviet commerce raiders continue to terrorize shipping in the Pacific. US Pacific Fleet badly depleted. Most surviving surface vessels employed in convoy escort/ASW operations.

Fuel runs out- most vessels, most navies, tied up in port...

*Specifically mentioned in canon.

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Constructive feedback is welcome

[RN7]

Good work Raellus. A few points.

Some of the US Navy 7th Fleet was already forward deployed in Japan. 6,300 US Navy personnel in Japan in 1990's with 1 carrier and 8 escorts at Yokosuka, and 3 SSN's and 3 amphibs at Sasebo. Also Carrier Air Wing 5 is at Atsugi. There are also 15,000 USAF (5th Air Force) in Japan with 120 combat aircraft, and 22,000 Marines in Okinawa including the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing.

Chinese PLAN was woefully outclassed by Soviets at this time and would have been chewed to pieces by Soviet submarines and aircraft. However the Soviet surface fleet was also very vulnerable to US Navy carrier aircraft and land based aircraft. Most Soviet naval action in the Pacific against US Navy would have been through submarines and Tu-22M Backfire bombers. Soviet Air Force would likely be main opponent of US aircraft in air.

Soviet Pacific Fleet:
Bases: Vladivostok, Petropavlovsk, Magadan, Sovyetskya Gavan, Cam Ranh Bay (Vietnam)
Submarines: 98 (24 SSBN, 18 SSGN, 22 SSN, 3 SSG, 27 SS)
Surface Fleet: 2 carriers, 14 cruisers, 7 destroyers, 40 frigates
Other Ships: 65 patrol craft, 102 minesweepers, 21 amphibs, 230 support and miscellaneous vessels
Naval Air: 240 combat aircraft and 99 helicopters
80 bombers (60 Tu-22M, 20 Tu-16)
50 combat aircraft (50 Yak-26) afloat
45 combat aircraft (10 Su-24, 35 Su-17) ashore
65 ASW aircraft (15 Tu-142, 17 IL-38, 33 Be-12)
61 ASW helicopter (23 Ka-25, 38 Ka-27) afloat
28 ASW helicopter (28 Mi-14) ashore
37 MR/EW aircraft (2 An-12, 20 Tu-16, 15 Tu-95)
10 MR helicopter (10 Ka-25)
5 MCM helicopter (5 Mi-14)
10 assault helicopter (10 Ka-27)
5 communication aircraft (5 Tu-142)
10 tanker aircraft (10 Tu-16)

[dylan]

Chinese didn't have multiple SSBNs in this time period sorry.

They had a single 092 XIA class SSBN that was never fully operational and never conducted deterrent patrol. It entered a shipyard for overhaul in 1995, and didn't reappear for over five years.

[Raellus]

Thanks, Dylan. I was under the impression that the PLN had a small number of SSBNs c.1995, but I was wrong. I will amend my account.

[shrike6]

If you wanted to spice things up a little bit for the ChiCom-Soviet phase of the war. You could always say the Chinese built a carrier task force around the ex-HMAS Melbourne.

[RN7]

Chinese didn't have multiple SSBNs in this time period sorry.

They had a single Type 092 XIA class SSBN that was never fully operational and never conducted deterrent patrol. It entered a shipyard for overhaul in 1995, and didn't reappear for over five years.

China might have built two 092 Xia Class SSBN. The first was built in 1981 but was not fully operational until 1988. It is considered very noisy and limited in capabilities compared with Western and Russian submarines. A second boat may have been built in 1982 but there is little information about it, and it might have been lost in an accident in 1985. The Type 092 is considered to be a test design for the later and improved Type 095 that entered service in 2007.

[Olefin]

If there is one place that the canon could use a major overhaul its the Pacific War - i.e. the fact that according to Satellite Down the USN had basically no active ships by early 2001 operating on the West Coast is one of the most unbelievable aspects of the whole canon

along with how the battle with the USS Virginia and her destroyer escorts against the five Soviet DD's went down - including the fact that Virginia is in a desperate battle but still has operational Harpoons and one Tomahawk on board in 2001- meaning she is fighting for her life and outnumbered but didnt fire them during the battle So she let five Soviet ships get close enough for a gun battle and didnt expend all her missiles first

and per the canon she has an operational missile launcher left - so this isnt a situation where the Soviets got lucky and took out her missile launchers and the magazines held missiles she couldnt fire

let alone the Soviet fleet's only allies in the Pacific are the North Koreans and Vietnamese and somehow they took out the USN, the Chinese, the South Korean Navy, etc.. to the point they could still send six destroyers to the Mexican coast for the battle against the Virginia and there was nothing left to reinforce Virginia or still operational after it

Or the real humdinger - that the Soviets somehow established air and naval supremacy long enough to transport multiple divisions including mech infantry divisions not only to Alaska but landing on the western coast of Canada

And I dont see the USN having the whole Pacific Fleet sitting in Honolulu when it got nuked or a huge proportion of it either to where the Soviets could get what you would need to successfully transport those troops to the US and Canada

[Raellus]

Or the real humdinger - that the Soviets somehow established air and naval supremacy long enough to transport multiple divisions including mech infantry divisions not only to Alaska but landing on the western coast of Canada

I'd forgotten to account for that in my outline. Thanks for reminding me.

[JHart]

I wonder what Taiwan would do. I would think they would stay out of the fight between China and the USSR while it is still conventional, with the possibility of providing material to the mainland to curry some postwar goodwill. It gets harder if Taiwan thinks the USSR is in it to win it and it is not just a large border skirmish. Taiwan might get away with "volunteers" helping China with logistics, aircraft pilot training or even "volunteer" pilots, and aggressive naval patrols that harass Soviet warships and not suffer any conventional retaliation. Taiwan would avoid getting nuked in the initial Soviet strike against China because they Soviets wouldn't want to tick off the US, but once NATO gets involved in Europe, I'm sure Taiwan would suffer retaliation for any help it offered to China.

[Olefin]

I dont see the Soviets nuking Taiwan - all they dont need is to add more enemies in the Pacific - and frankly Taiwan may be too busy taking advantage of what happened to Communist China - i.e. attempt to get a foothold back on the mainland or possibly somewhere like Hainan - probably their best shot at actually getting back in power over at least all the offshore islands and possibly a foothold on the mainland

could even see Taiwan once it went nuclear telling the Soviets what they intended to do - and them seeing it as a way to even further destabilize China and let them bring even more forces to bear elsewhere - i.e. weakening China more and hopefully making them waste even more of what little strength they have left fighting off an attempt by Taiwan to seize their territory

[Olefin]

FYI dont forget the Canadian Pacific forces as well - in 1989 they had the following - and it you are looking at V1 those numbers may well have increased due to new construction

Second Canadian Destroyer Squadron:

Iroquois class: HMCS Huron (DDG 281)

Restigouche class: HMCS Restigouche (DDE 257), HMCS Terra Nova (DDE 259), HMCS Gatineau (DDE 236)

Fourth Canadian Destroyer Squadron

Mackenzie class: HMCS Mackenzie (DDE 261), HMCS Saskatchewan (DDE 262), HMCS Yukon (DDE 263), HMCS Qu'Appelle (DDE 264)

They also had four boom defense boats and six patrol boats that would probably still be operational (if they were still afloat) even with fuel shortages - perfect ships for a post 2000 navy

[Raellus]

Food for Thought

https://warisboring.com/could-north-korea-sink-an-american-aircraft-carrier/

[mpipes]

Don't forget Australia and New Zealand. They had substantial light naval forces.

Filipino forces could provide some naval logistic support.

[shrike6]

Don't forget Australia and New Zealand. They had substantial light naval forces.

Wouldn't the bulk of Australia's Navy be committed to the Papua New Guinea Conflict with Indonesia Or is that not part of the history they are putting together

[Matt Wiser]

Back on the old forum, I had posted some Naval stuff-and that included the Constellation carrier group at Guam along with several other ships at Chinhae, ROK, including the cruiser Des Moines (Salem's sister). There were also several attack subs and boomers active, and the battleship Wisconsin moored at Hilo, HI. Nmitz carrier group at NAS Alameda and a few other assets (mostly USCG) in the Bay Area.