Quote:
Originally Posted by chico20854
February 2, 1998With Port Arthur, Houston, Galveston, and Corpus Christi all destroyed during the nuclear exchange of 1997, Port Lavaca is the largest remaining port along Texas' Gulf Coast. However, a large number of the buildings in town were destroyed during the civil disturbances that followed the nuclear strikes. The nearby town of Point Comfort was the site of destructive looting, riots, and fires that destroyed the town’s chemical and aluminum plants.
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It might be added that the Port of Port Lavaca – Point Comfort, or "Port of Port Lavaca" for short, lies jointly in both towns. The big question for operating this port and others in the Matagorda Bay in general would be, if the Matagorda Ship Channel remains intact. The channel was constructed between 1962 and 1966, and since then allows vessels to travel between the Gulf of Mexico and Matagorda Bay. I presume, the Soviets wouldn't hit the actual channel directly and with the next blasts occurring way out at Corpus Christi or Galveston, the channel likely is still intact.
The next available port would be the Port of Freeport, the smallest deepwater seaport along the US Gulf Coast. It's a pretty interesting site, actually. The large German chemical corporation BASF owns a marine terminal there, built during the early 1990s. So it's brand new during the Twilight War. Also, the US federal government has made Freeport the largest facility of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), with a capacity exceeding 40 million barrels. It would be quite the prize after the war and indeed might or should have been nuked during the exchange of 1997, I think.
Last addition, because the strip of land between Galveston and Corpus Christi is so interesting in strategic sites, is that Matagorda Island, the long stretch of land southwest of the channel, had its own air force base until 1975. Matagorda Island Air Force Base was more or less a run of the mill SAC base until the Vietnam War. It was then used by Air Commando for training, possibly coming under control of the US intelligence community, and consequently abandoned after the war.
It's interesting for local military operations after the collapse of central government in 1997, because the runways are in relatively good condition, so it could be used relatively quickly (after green keeping). All buildings are in various stages of deterioration today, though, but 25 years ago, that might have been different. Also, barracks and makeshift service areas as well as an improvised tower are fairly easy to erect. Additionally, there is a usable dock and a small port facility available, giving the air base a marine connection.
After decommissioning, the base was turned over to the Department of the Interior as a federal wildlife refuge. Since then, or maybe it existed before, a much smaller Matagorda Island Airstrip has been constructed, probably for use by DoI agencies, but maybe also for touristic use. It is also connected to a small harbor, which is likely not a deepwater port. A road connection to the old AFB exists, giving a reactivated base additional capacities and logistical options via air and sea.
Also, way to the South of Matagorda Island there is a third airstrip, historically known as Matagorda Peninsula Army Airfield, later known as Matagorda Peninsula Airport. It, too, was a World War Two installation for pilot training and is still in good shape, but without the usual service buildings to handle aircraft. All in all, five strips of 4,000 ft each exist here.
Historically, the site was used by Space Services, Inc. of America (SSIA), which established a rocket launch facility on the island for commercial rockets with the airport, known as Pierce Field. SSIA remained on site until 2002, making it likely that they would still be using the site during the Twilight War or that at least some of their gear might remain in situ after the nuclear exchange. SSIA is quite the interesting company and one of the first to explore commercial rockets and other space-oriented services. The company was bought up early in the 21st century, but reading about it on Wikipedia and their website, makes me get a lot of crazy ideas, especially if mixed with pulp, post-apocalyptic or conspiracy theory ideas, of which T2K has an abundance to offer. All I say here is "New America"!
I certainly see MilGov or CivGov trying to establish a regional operation around a reactivated Matagorda Island Air Force Base, especially if the Freeport Strategic Petroleum Reserve site is still an exploitable ressource: one runway of 8,000 ft, five runways of 4,000 ft, a dock, a port and a nearby auxiliary installation with its own harbor is certainly nothing to sniff at. The only problem might be that abandoned airfields are safe havens for international drug dealing and Matagorda Island is no exception: It's been known that drug trafficking goes through here.