Log Bridge, 1989

[HalfLifeExpert]

Finally was able to properly play this scenario all the way through, even though things certainly took an interesting turn.

The Idea of two large modern surface forces, one Soviet led by a Kirov, and one NATO led by an Iowa, is certainly a very exciting battle to play out.

This battle is set during a Third World War in 1989, specifically North and West of Iceland. No land or carrier Based air assets are available to ether side, presumably due to extensive damage to Iceland's air bases, and Soviet Naval Aviation having taken serious losses and needed elsewhere. Only the Helicopters on the ships are available, plus a couple UAVs on the Wisconsin Battleship. Each side also has a few submarines.

Playing as NATO, I decide to send the Wisconsin SAG southward to hug the northern Coast of Iceland. I also send my two submarines, USS Topeka (688i class) and HMS Splendid (Swiftsure class), on general searches for the Soviets north of Iceland.

As the Wisconsin Sag slips into the Norwegian Sea out of the Denmark Strait, my one Seahawk I had been using for searches finds the Soviet surface force to the north, about 150 NM east of the Greenland coast.

Neither side engages for a while. I take a risk and stay at EMCON, trying to get the Soviets closer before engaging. That way I can fire my Harpoons along with my 20 TASMs. It doesn't really work as the Soviets end up shooting down and decoying most of my missiles, with only one Sverdlov cruiser being lost to missile fire. Around the time the first missiles start flying, HMS Splendid is sunk by ASW helos. I also order USS Topeka on a course to move in behind the Soviet ships, hoping to slip in under the cover of their baffles.

The Soviets end up lobbing a ton of AShMs at the Wisconsin SAG. Several ships are lost, but alot of missiles are defeated as well. This also exhausts the remaining SAMs. This leaves the Wisconsin SAG down to 4 vessels:

USS Wisconsin (light damage, one 5 inch dual mount destroyed)

USS Harry E. Yarnell (Leahy class CG)

USS Jesse L Brown (Knox class Frigate)

USS W.S. Sims (Knox class Frigate)


The Topeka is moving south to the battle area, but will take some time to get there. The Soviets are steaming fast toward these last four ships, with all clean escape being blocked off (the coast of Iceland is to their south).

I decide that the only thing I can do is something crazy, I order the Wisconsin and her remaining companions northward, flank speed. Right into the heard of the Soviet force. My only weapons left are the 16 and 5 in guns on these ships. I have to dash to gun range.

The cruiser Yarnell and Frigate Jesse L Brown are engaged by a Soviet Slava, which causes severe damage to the Yarnell, as well as the Brown, with their engines destroyed. Yarnell ultimately succumbs to her damage and sinks several hours later. The Jesse L Brown has a long gun dual with the Soviet CG, but ultimately survives, dead in the water.

Meanwhile, the Wisconsin unloads her massive 16 in guns on Soviet ships as soon as they are in range. She sinks the Kirov, the remaining Sverdlov, two Udaloys, and both Slavas, including the one pummeling the Cruiser and Frigate mentioned earlier. However, Sovremmeny is able to unload alot of gunfire on the Wisconsin, destroying much of her exposed weaponry and sensors, as well as managing to knock out her engines. She still has her main 16 in battery and several 5 in guns though, but cannot move. She ended up firing almost all of her 16 in shells

Meanwhile, the Topeka is north of the Wisconsin and is able to sink two approaching Soviet warships, including a Kresta cruiser. However she is lost to a long range Anti-Submarine missile fired by one of the Soviet SSNs out there.

Now the only fully operational NATO ship remaining is the USS W.S. Sims. I have her patrol around the immobile Wisconsin and Jesse L. Brown. In the process I am able to use ASROCs to sink an Akula and an Oscar that approach, attempting to torpedo the Wisconsin.

Then I am able to run out the clock. The only remaining Soviet unit, according to the "Browse scenario platforms" window, is a Sierra class SSN.

The Scenario declared it a "Major Victory" with a score of 700. It was a pyrrhic victory through and through.

Here are the losses and expenditures:

SIDE: NATO
===========================================================

LOSSES:
-------------------------------
1x CG 16 Leahy
1x CG 54 Antietam [Ticonderoga Baseline 3, VLS]
1x CGN 38 Virginia
2x DDG 2 Charles F. Adams
2x F 85 Cornwall [Type 22 Batch 3]
1x FFG 7 Oliver Hazard Perry
4x Lynx HAS.3
2x RQ-2A Pioneer UAV
1x S 108 Swiftsure
3x SH-2F Seasprite
3x SH-60B Seahawk
1x SSN 751 San Juan [Improved Los Angeles Class]


EXPENDITURES:
------------------
16x 114mm/55 Mk8 HE(MP) HE
56x 127mm/38 Twin AA-VT Burst [AntiAircraft Common, 2 rnds]
1960x 127mm/38 Twin HE-PD Burst [HiCap, 2 rnds]
400x 127mm/54 HE-CVT [HiFrag]
105x 127mm/54 HE-PD [HiCap]
10x 20mm/85 Mk15 Phalanx Blk 0 Burst [200 rnds]
30x 20mm/85 Mk15 Phalanx Blk 1 Burst [300 rnds]
8x 30mm Goalkeeper Burst [240 rnds]
90x 406mm/50 Triple AP Salvo [3 rnds]
293x 406mm/50 Triple HiCap Salvo [3 rnds]
10x 76mm/62 Compact HE Burst [4 rnds]
2x ADC Mk2 Mod 0 Torpedo Decoy
4x ADC Mk2 Mod 1 Torpedo Decoy
4x ADC Mk3 Mod 0 Sonobuoy Countermeasure
20x Corvus Chaff [Distraction]
20x Mk182 SRBOC Chaff [Seduction]
28x Mk186 TORCH Flare [Seduction]
24x Mk214 Sea Gnat Chaff [Seduction]
6x Mk48 Mod 4
16x RGM-109B Tomahawk TASM
16x RGM-84C Harpoon IB
48x RGM-84D Harpoon IC
14x RIM-66D SM-2MR Blk I
96x RIM-66E SM-1MR Blk VI
70x RIM-66H SM-2MR Blk II
76x RIM-67C SM-2ER Blk II
8x RUR-5A Mod 4 ASROC RTT [Mk46 Mod 5]
72x Sea Wolf Blk 1



SIDE: USSR
===========================================================

LOSSES:
-------------------------------
2x BPK Kashin Mod [Pr.61M]
2x BPK Udaloy I [Pr.1155 Fregat]
2x EM Sovremenny I [Pr.956 Sarych]
1x Ka-25BSh Hormone A
2x Ka-25Ts Hormone B
7x Ka-27PL Helix A
2x KR Sverdlov [Pr.68A]
1x PLA-971 Akula I [Shchuka-B]
1x PLARK-949A Oscar II [Antey]
1x RKR Frunze [Pr.1144.2 Orlan]
1x RKR Kresta I [Pr.1134 Berkut]
2x RKR Slava [Pr.1164 Atlant]


EXPENDITURES:
------------------
10x AK-100 100mm/70 Frag
308x AK-130 130mm/54 Twin Frag Burst [2 rnds]
99x AK-130 130mm/54 Twin HE Burst [2 rnds]
92x AK-230 30mm/65 Twin Burst [50 rnds]
34x AK-630M 30mm/65 Gatling Burst [400 rnds]
2x Generic Acoustic Decoy
8x PK-2 Chaff [TSP-47]
12x PLAB-250 Depth Charge
11x RGB-1 [NATO BM-1, Search, Passive Omni]
28x RGB-NM-1 [Passive Omni]
28x SA-N-4b Gecko [9M33M3]
123x SA-N-6a Grumble [5R55RM]
24x SA-N-7 Gadfly [9M38]
64x SA-N-9 Gauntlet [9M330-2 Kinzhal]
1x SET-65M Enot-2 [NATO ET-80A[76]]
32x SS-N-12 Sandbox Mod 1 [P-500 Bazalt]
16x SS-N-14 Silex [85RU, Dual-Role, UMGT-1 Torpedo + 185kg Unitary]
1x SS-N-15 Starfish [RPK-6 Vodopad, UMGT-1 Torpedo]
3x SS-N-16 Stallion [RPK-7 Vodopei, UMGT-1 Torpedo]
44x SS-N-19 Shipwreck [P-700 Granit]
16x SS-N-22 Sunburn [P-80 Zubr]
8x SS-N-2c Improved Styx [P-15M]
4x SS-N-3c Shaddock [P-35 Progress, ASM]

[wild_Willie2]

This scenario is a classic as the Sowjet forces have so much more long range firepower than NATO. As such, getting into Harpoon range is difficult without having to defend your forces against about a zillion long range ASM missiles. I found that contracting the NATO fleet within 1 mile of each other helps a lot with fending of this missle onslaught.

Try playing as the Sowjets instead, you can win this scenario within a few hours with a single massive missile strike on the NATO forces.
W.

[mavfin]

Yeah, you kept the Wisconsin busy. 1960 rounds of common HE for the 5"/38s, and another 56 rounds of VT, probably actually used for AA. ~130 salvos from the main guns. I bet those 5-inchers, 6 to each side of the ship, did a lot of damage to those thin-skinned escorts, depending on the effective range setting in the DB. Note all the 5"/54 ammo was for other ships than the Wisconsin. Who says Command can't do gun battles?

[giantsquid]

I loved this scenario and played from the soviet side. You can do a lot of damage with coordinated SS-N-19 strike from Kirov BCGN and Oscar SSGN