Quote:
Originally Posted by Olefin
It sounds like the Sea Lord (the one in Florida) had at least some trained crews and I am betting possible Coast Guard vessels - and if the weapons we are talking about are things like machine guns and mortars then training for the weapons crews are not a big thing - but if they got their hands on an operational destroyer or frigate thats another - even if you can operate the engines or the bridge that doesnt mean you are a trained gunner - and I doubt anyone has a ton of ammo hanging around to use to train people up in naval gunfire
given the time frame and depending on the type of weapon there might actually be enough retired naval crew and officers around to man a couple of ships - remember its one thing to man a nuclear submarine - its another to man a frigate or destroyer ( for one the whole submerging and coming back up thing doesnt factor in) with a conventional engine
WWII vets and Korean War vets would still be around in sufficient numbers for showing how older ships work - and Vietnam vets would only be from mid 40s to mid 50's - and Florida for instance would be a prime place for them to retire to
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The Sea Lord might have Navy ships. NAS Jax gets the majority of the attention, but Naval Station Mayport was the home port of the
Forrestal and
Saratoga in the 1980s and early 90s, and at least two destroyer squadrons were headquartered there during the timeframe of the Twilight War.
Mayport has been home to Destroyer Squadron 14 (and its successor formation Naval Surface Squadron 14) since 1959. In 1995 it consisted of
Carney,
John Rodgers,
O'Bannon, and
Underwood.
Destroyer Squadron 24 was also based there from 1973 until its dissolution in 2011. In 1995 it consisted of
Spruance,
John Hancock, and
Taylor, with 1997 seeing
The Sullivans join the squadron.