[jester]

Okay, the TnT and C-4 or other plastique type explosives will do nicely. So will some of the more modern dynamite type explosives <I said type not real dynamite> other things like blackpowder, guncotton and such NO! I would imagine even some old artillery shells would do the job.

Oh yeah, detcord!!!!! Lots of it!

Those fuse igniters will be a tool you would need since matches and cigarette lighters won't work in a water enviroment. Also, yes timers will work well too.

Both blasting caps will work, solutions to make sure they work is paint them with gasket sealant, that plastic stuff used to dip tool handles in to give them a rubber cover and grip, plastic and electrical tape. The more time in the water the longer the water has to work its way into your stuff. <modern time fuse does burn in water though and blasting caps also are pretty waterproof>

I again recomend DET CORD!

Okay those are the tools you can use. An electrical timer would be your really weak link.


As for the mission, you say, BARGES, what kind? How thick of steel? Any form of stearing or rudders or power or control?

A puncture above the waterline is useless, if they are that desperate they will move them out since they will be little risk of them taking on water and even with some splashing it could be managed with pumps.

Barges as I know them seldom have control or power. So those are out.

A small leak or slow leak is not bad, but again if it is realized to be a minor slow leak they can put temporary repairs to hit and get underway using pumps or bailing to keep it under control.

As I understand transporting barges the greater problem with them is their running aground, or them fouling. Those are harder tasks to remedy and take more time but often do less damage. I would have put some detcord on their mooring lines prior to the attack and when the attack took place or before the barges got underway BOOM! Blow the cables/chains anchoring them or tethering them. And then the vessels will be drifting on the current, this will hazard navigation for other vessels as well, add to the confusion and the vessels will either run into another vessel at slow speed causing minor damage, or run aground either on shore or a sandbar where recovery can be made later.

Another evil option:

rig some additional anchors or even a underwater sail or something to drag along the bottom or just act as a catch. Imagine the frusteration of the crew trying to manuver the barge and the tow vehicle when they have a couple anchors that they do not know about. But, your team knows about them and a simple 15 minute dive with a heavy pair of bolt cutters, a wrench or a large sharp knife is all it takes and of course your team knows where to look which makes it much more easier.

Another idea is to block the channel out of the port. Take one of the barges or another vessel and anchor it or even sink it at the choke point of the exit channel where it is shallow enough to not allow any vessels to exit the harbor <much like the Japanese attempted to do with Pearl Harbor with the few ships that tried to get out into the open sea> That would put a bottle in the port without doing any damage to the vessels.

The down side of disabling a vessel where it can not be sailed, or bottling the harbor as the city is about to be taken is the forces in the city destroying all equipment and assets that they can not take with them, or before they are forced to surrender.

Now for the tugs.

Det cord around the rudder or propeller shafts but can you repair them? Will you have the parts to do the job? Its simple and will do the job, but can it be repaired and will the enemy sink the vessel to deny it?

I would do the following myself:

Contaminate the fuel or damage the fuel line and fuel filter since most tugs are diesel. Clog the fuel injectors, steal the glow plugs or just foul them.

That way, the vessel can get underway with the cargo, then shortly after the vessel will DIE and be adrift and ripe pickens. At that point you just have to take the vessel and clean the glow plugs or fuel line. I personaly would do two or three things to the vessel.

Another thing would be to put a short or kill switch in the electrical system so the engine will not be able to run, or even loosen or disconect the cables to the primary controls, nothing like them making a run and then not being able to control their vessel.

The problem is not so much the fix, but finding and diagnosing the problem which will take much more time than the actual repair.



And then we also have the whole piracy thing.

Have your team members hide on the tugs. When the attack happens they either man the tugs and sail out, or wait for the crew to board and get underway. Then when that happens your team(s) emerge and sieze the tugs that are hauling the barges. You gain the vessels without damage, and they are all ready to sail. This also has the benefit of giving your team(s) a means of getting out of a town that is about to be under seige and suffering all the issues one would encounter in a town that will be filled with urban fighting.

But, the biggest issue that I see is the enemy damaging the vessels and supplies to make sure that they are not captured and usable by the aproaching forces.