What would it take to defeat a Carrier Strike Group?

2007-06-15 16:19:13

#1

Cerpin_Taxt: Member; +155|6200

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union had planned to use nuclear weapons on the US's carrier groups had a war broken out. The Nimitz class carrier, given its many assets, is often considered to be unsinkable by conventional weaponry.

The topic up for debate is, with conventional weapons, how would a nation go about launching a successful attack on a carrier strike group? Realistically, is it even possible given what it would take (i.e. losing countless lives, planes, ships, etc.)? Also consider tactics used on the USS Cole bombing (although protection from such tactics has greatly improved since then).

Here are the components of your average carrier strike group:

(1x) Nimitz class aircraft carrier:

(3x) Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyers:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/cd/Churchill010913-N-6967M-506.jpg/300px-Churchill010913-N-6967M-506.jpg

(2x) Ticonderoga class Aegis missile cruisers:

(2x) Los Angeles class attack submarines:

(1x) T-AOE Fast Combat support ship:

(4x) F/A-18E/F Super Hornet squadrons:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/FA-18-NAVY-Blue-Diamond.jpg/250px-FA-18-NAVY-Blue-Diamond.jpg

(1x) EA-6 Prowler squadron:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f5/Usnavy.ea6b.prowler.750pix.jpg/250px-Usnavy.ea6b.prowler.750pix.jpg

(1x) S-3B Viking anti-submarine squadron:

(1x) E-2 Hawkeye carrier early warning squadron:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/DN-SD-04-13416.jpg/250px-DN-SD-04-13416.jpg

(1x) C-2 Greyhound logistics support squadron:

(1x) SH-60 Seahawk anti-submarine squadron:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Seahawk.750pix.jpg/250px-Seahawk.750pix.jpg

Last edited by Cerpin_Taxt (2007-06-15 16:21:37)

2007-06-15 16:22:24

#2

Kmar: Truth is my Bitch; +5,695|6598|132 and Bush

"Fair enough"

Xbone Stormsurgezz

2007-06-15 16:22:54

#3

usmarine: Banned; +2,785|6759

God.

2007-06-15 16:27:19

#4

Scardaddy: Member; +37|6389|UK

Well I guess I'll offer an answer as the first reply: (WELL IT WAS WHEN I HIT REPLY) :~)

Without large scale arty cruise missiles, or Nuclear capabilities, the only way would be a sneak attack. Which means that the answer is no it is impossible to destroy this fleet with out conventional warfare. You would have to storm them when they were unmanned or at least partially maned to destroy them and the only chance is by air, a ground or sea assault would be out of the question, I guess.

Last edited by Scardaddy (2007-06-15 16:27:59)

2007-06-15 16:28:24

#5

farmerfez: o wut?; +78|6528

put C4 on the bottom and watch the fireworks ^^

2007-06-15 16:37:30

#6

(T)eflon(S)hadow: R.I.P. Neda; +456|6826|Grapevine, TX

Another [ROUGE] US Carrier Group

2007-06-15 16:42:43

#7

Freezer7Pro: I don't come here a lot anymore.; +1,447|6195|Winland

Your mom. _/sarcasm

A well-ordered group of soldiers in mini-subs, planting some bigass fireworks under the ships...

The idea of any hi-fi system is to reproduce the source material as faithfully as possible, and to deliberately add distortion to everything you hear (due to amplifier deficiencies) because it sounds 'nice' is simply not high fidelity. If that is what you want to hear then there is no problem with that, but by adding so much additional material (by way of harmonics and intermodulation) you have a tailored sound system, not a hi-fi. - Rod Elliot, ESP

2007-06-15 17:09:47

#8

PureFodder: Member; +225|6283

https://www.unanyc.org/image/congress.gif

sorry, couldn't help myself.

2007-06-15 17:12:41

#9

l41e: Member; +677|6646

See the BF2SF map Leviathan for reference.

2007-06-15 17:13:03

#10

N.A.T.O: The People’s Champion; +59|6437|A drop house

A shit load of planes (100s) armed with anti ship missiles, and air to air missiles. ???

If it could even be done.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhic_victory

Last edited by N.A.T.O (2007-06-15 17:23:27)

2007-06-15 17:15:40

#11

acEofspadEs6313: Shiny! Let's be bad guys.; +102|6690|NAS Jacksonville, Florida

I personally think a massive barrage of anti-ship missiles launched from air to sea and surface to sea platforms would be needed.

Last edited by acEofspadEs6313 (2007-06-15 17:20:20)

2007-06-15 17:17:22

#12

Cerpin_Taxt: Member; +155|6200

acEofspadEs6313 wrote:
They have more than 4 F/A-18s on one carrier

4 squadrons, not 4 planes.

2007-06-15 17:17:49

#13

Ryan: Member; +1,230|6840|Alberta, Canada

Cerpin_Taxt wrote:
is often considered to be unsinkable by conventional weaponry.

They said the same about the Titanic, and look what happened.
Blasted icebergs.

2007-06-15 17:19:35

#14

XanKrieger: iLurk; +60|6655|South West England

usmarine2005 wrote:
God.

2007-06-15 17:19:41

#15

RedTwizzler: I do it for the lulz.; +124|6534|Chicago

acEofspadEs6313 wrote:
They have more than 4 F/A-18s on one carrier, as well as more of each of the aircraft you listed.

I personally think a massive barrage of anti-ship missiles launched from air to sea and surface to sea platforms would be needed.

Each of those numbers are squadrons.

2007-06-15 17:19:53

#16

acEofspadEs6313: Shiny! Let's be bad guys.; +102|6690|NAS Jacksonville, Florida

Cerpin_Taxt wrote:
acEofspadEs6313 wrote:
They have more than 4 F/A-18s on one carrier
4 squadrons, not 4 planes.

My bad. Read it wrong.

2007-06-15 17:25:38

#17

KuSTaV: noice; +947|6509|Gold Coast

Oh god... well here are what I think:

- Sneak attack. Mini subs, and lots of em.

- A shitload of planes (J10s?)

- A bigger force of subs?

- A nuke, but thats cheating.

Far out, maybe a whole freakin navy/airforce. But I do feel strong that if you have sufficient AA and a ton of subs, it might work.

noice

https://static.bf2s.com/files/user/26774/awsmsanta.png

2007-06-15 17:25:53

#18

Ghosty: Member; +3|6670|Leicester,UK

one missile sunk a british ship in the falkland conflict so the answer is yes, conventional weapons can sink a ship no matter how big (also look at the titanic one ice cube sunk that and thats a fucking HUGE ship) everyone likes to think their country is unbeatable but no matter how big and strong little things will always pin big things down.

2007-06-15 17:27:25

#19

some_random_panda: Flamesuit essential; +454|6388

Meteorite on the carrier, and a massive shock wave causing the other ships to capsise.

Or you could assemble a massive block of steel and attach it to the International Space Station, then detonate the lot out of orbit and time it so it landed on the carrier. Instant submersion in molten steel, and enough force propelled outwards to first capsise the ships then cause tidal waves on all surrounding shores.

2007-06-15 17:27:44

#20

Parker: isteal; +1,452|6391|The Gem Saloon

Ghosty wrote:
one missile sunk a british ship in the falkland conflict so the answer is yes, conventional weapons can sink a ship no matter how big (also look at the titanic one ice cube sunk that and thats a fucking HUGE ship) everyone likes to think their country is unbeatable but no matter how big and strong little things will always pin big things down.

ICWS?

2007-06-15 17:29:13

#21

Scorpion0x17: can detect anyone's visible post count...; +691|6763|Cambridge (UK)

Jihad-dolphins

2007-06-15 17:30:51

#22

Parker: isteal; +1,452|6391|The Gem Saloon

Scorpion0x17 wrote:
Jihad-dolphins

in the past the navy has trained dolphins to patrol around docked ships........craziness.

2007-06-15 17:32:53

#23

coke: Aye up duck!; +440|6706|England. Stoke

Ghosty wrote:
one missile sunk a british ship in the falkland conflict so the answer is yes, conventional weapons can sink a ship no matter how big (also look at the titanic one ice cube sunk that and thats a fucking HUGE ship) everyone likes to think their country is unbeatable but no matter how big and strong little things will always pin big things down.

True and some major damage was caused by dumb bombs but as someone has hinted at the amount of AA and anti-missile technology available at the time compared to today if a similar task force was assembled was next to nothing, never mind compared to a modern US carrier strike group...

Last edited by coke (2007-06-15 17:33:10)

2007-06-15 17:33:38

#24

DeadboyUSMC: Member; +65|6696|NCFSU2

Rule out any kind of submarines attacking the carrier group. Yay destroyers and sonar.

Oh, and missiles, CWIS'll take them out.

Last edited by DeadboyUSMC (2007-06-15 17:34:32)

2007-06-15 17:33:52

#25

Scorpion0x17: can detect anyone's visible post count...; +691|6763|Cambridge (UK)

Parker wrote:
Scorpion0x17 wrote:
Jihad-dolphins
in the past the navy has trained dolphins to patrol around docked ships........craziness.

I was being serious.

They've also been trained to plant mines, and to detonate floating mines.

And kamikaze pigeons have been used to fly missiles.

BF2S Forums What would it take to defeat a Carrier Strike Group?

acEofspadEs6313 wrote:

Cerpin_Taxt wrote:

usmarine2005 wrote:

acEofspadEs6313 wrote:

Cerpin_Taxt wrote:

acEofspadEs6313 wrote:

Ghosty wrote:

Scorpion0x17 wrote:

Ghosty wrote:

Parker wrote:

Scorpion0x17 wrote:

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