I'm going to post one more fixup of Saratogas disposition because I just read it, and it reads dumb... so here we go:
My thoughts on the Saratoga being where it is were based on the idea that she'd been working the southwest Atlantic, near Florida, and she and her battle-group had been ordered to stop convoys of Division Cuba from reaching the coast of Texas. She got into a shooutout with Soviet and Cuban surface elements and while she broke the back of Soviet Naval operations in the region and virtually destroyed the last of the "official" Cuban navy, she absorbed an anti-ship missile hit and was severely damaged. Realizing a ship that could maybe someday be put back in action was preferable to a ship that was a natural reef her commander ran her aground in the shallows off of Fort Jefferson, approximately 80 miles west of Key West. As most of her planes were already airborne as part of strike packages operating against the remains of the Soviet/Cuban ships, performing SAR and CAP duties, these remaining aircraft were diverted to land bases - specifically NAS Key West and Homestead AFB.
While these planes and helos were initially a boon to MILGOV in South Florida, most were attritted due to mechanical failures (due to fewer and fewer critical spares), operational loss over Cuba, and finally a simple lack of fuel. The tiny MILGOV enclave in Key West maintains a lone SH-60 and a pair of F/A18Ds in flyable condition with a reserve of fuel for contingency situations.
The Saratoga's remaining crew did an able job of damage control, and there is a contingent of Marines and a skeleton crew of sailors on-board to maintain the ship. However, again, multiple hurricanes and general neglect have taken a hard toll on the once-proud carrier.
While the ship is marginally operational and, against most threats very well defended, it is a tempting target for New America and raiders in general. How long it will sit unmolested is anyone's guess.
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