The US Navy in version 2.2

[swaghauler]

I simply have trouble imagining that EVERY modern vessel of the US Navy is at the bottom of an ocean (or sea). I began thinking about how much of the Navy would survive and I decided about 20% seems right. I also wanted to consider how a weakened Russia could possibly challenge NATO on the high seas. MY ANSWER (and this is just MY OPINION here folks) was to allow the "drawdown" that actually happened to the US Navy after the fall of the old Soviet Union. The list below is taken from the US Navy archives in 1999 and represents the total ACTIVE DUTY strength during that year. But first, some thoughts based on the "real world drawdown." These thoughts come from a number of different people and try to explain why the Navy retired/sold the ships that they did.

The Carriers: ALL of the Super Carriers (8 CVN and 4 CV) are still in service in 1999. All of the smaller carriers were "mothballed" for cost reasons (the Wasp class helo carriers are listed with the Amphibious Assault ships). The CVs were used in the Med and the Gulf (where sailing distances were shorter) and as training ships. I would roll 1D10 for a roll of 1 for a Carrier to have survived. 2 Ships would be the imposed limit on surviving Carriers. Gas-powered CVs would be nearly impossible to fuel based on the sheer quantity needed (I've heard 20 9000-gallon tanker trucks to fuel a single carrier).

The Battleships: As these were all "mothballed" during the 90's, I would see the Navy having trouble getting enough qualified personnel to man them before the Exchange occurs. They are TOUGH though, so I don't think that they would be easily sunk unless they were subjected to aerial bombardment during an amphibious landing. I would roll a 1D20 for each of the 4 with a roll of 4 or less indicating activation for the first ship, 3 or less for the second ship, 2 or less for the third ship and 1 on D20 for the fourth ship to survive through the Exchange. Fuel for these behemoths would be hard to come by.

The Nuclear Cruisers: With crews of 600+ many of whom were highly paid specialists and with HALF the nuclear cruiser fleet coming up to either a refuel or a midlife upgrade (most cruisers were built in the 50's and 60's), the decision was made to retire them because they cost a LOT to operate. They were ALL placed into the reserve fleet by the end of 1996. For those of you who have followed my posts, you know I don't have the US involved in ANY conflict until AFTER the November 1996 elections.
The USS Long Beach WAS decommissioning before the start of the Twilight War and the USS Bainbridge and USS Truxton were ready to decommission. I'd roll a 1 on 1D20 to reactivate these cruisers before the Exchange.
The four Virginia Class Cruisers were in the Reserve Fleet and could reactivate and survive the War on a 1 on 1D10.
The USS California and USS South Carolina were still on the roster until early 1999 so I would allow them to survive on a roll of 1 on 1D6.

The Conventional Cruisers: The Navy also retired ALL of her Vietnam-Era cruisers by 1999 (there were several in the reserve fleet) but had EVERY one of the 27 Ticos still in service. 5 of these Ticos are "Flight I" variants with the twin MK26 Dual-Arm Launchers. These ships are almost 50ft shorter than the "Flight II" Ticos and are used for training in 1999. There is a 1 in 6 chance the "Flight I" Ticos survive the Exchange. The "Flight II" Ticos are the longer MK41 VLS Launcher equipped version (128 Launch tubes per ship). ALL 22 of these ships are STILL IN SERVICE TODAY (the 5 "Flight I's being used as "parts ships" to keep the "flight II's running), this is the importance of these ships to the US Navy. A "Flight II" Survives the Exchange on a roll of 1 on 1D10. The maximum number of Ticos that can survive the Exchange is 5.

The Destroyers: The US Navy had 52 Destroyers of THREE different classes still in service in 1998-1999.

The last Charles F. Addams Destroyer was still sailing as a testing ship. This ship is STILL moored with the Mothballed Fleet in the Philadelphia Naval Yard. I can see this ship being used to support landings as it has TWO 5" guns, Two MK13 Single Arm Launchers, NO Helo, and is the cheapest to operate and lowest tech destroyer still in use. It was also MUCH more reliable than either the "Spru-Cans" or the "Admirals" were. The "Burkes" were too sophisticated and costly to risk in supporting landings. I give a roll of 1 on 1D10 for the CF Addam's to survive the Exchange.

The Kidd Class: These were ALL sold to Taiwan by 1998, but I keep them around. They were experiencing "reliability issues" in real life, so the Navy sold them. The Kidds were some of the most powerful destroyers in service in 1997. They had ASW, AA, two 5" guns AND helicopter hangers (missing on "Flight I" Burkes), but they were NEVER upgraded with regards to their weapons or sensors due to power and hull weight restrictions. I would allow a roll of 1 on 1D10 for each of the 4 Kidds. I would limit survival of the Kidds to ONE ship as they were on the front lines off of China.

The Spruance Class: In 1999 the "Spru-Cans" were the MOST numerous Destroyers still in operation. These ships were the most versatile Destroyers the Navy had. As such, they were deployed individually more often than any other class. The 4 "Flight I" Spruances still had their 8-Round ASROC Launchers (with 24 reloads), 2 X 4-Round Harpoon Launchers (between the front and rear stacks) and either an 8-round Sea Sparrow Launcher on the fantail or the 21-round RAM Launcher (1 on 1D6) in place of it. The "Flight I Spru-Cans" were used for training and survive the Exchange on a roll of 1 on 1D10.
The "Flight II" Spruances had the 60-Round (first generation) MK41 VLS Launcher in place of their ASROC Launcher. They augment this with the 2 X 4-Round Harpoon Launchers between the stacks. They also replace the 8-Round Sea Sparrow Launcher with the 21-Round RAM Launcher on a roll of 1 on 1D6. They may also have 2 X 4 Tomahawk Launchers on either side of the superstructure BUT this requires the DELETION of the fantail AA Launcher due to hull weight restrictions. The 24 "Flight II" Spruances were used individually or as detachment leaders, because they had a good mix of firepower with the 60-Round VLS Launchers, a hanger for helos (for ASW) and multiple guns. Their only weakness was poor reliability due to age and a large number of deployments under their belts. They survive on a roll of 1 on 1D10. The total number of Spruances that survive CANNOT exceed 6 hulls.

The Arleigh Burke Class: There were 21 "Flight I" Burkes (and the first hanger-equipped "Flight II" undergoing construction) in service by 1999. These Burkes had the first generation MK41 Launchers (a 30-round launcher in front and a 60-round launcher in the rear) and NO helicopter hanger (although they have a landing pad and RAST gear). These ships were assigned primarily to Carrier Task forces and often paired with Perry class Frigates to make up for a lack of ASW helicopter facilities. The Burkes survive on a roll of 1 on 1D10 with the total surviving NOT TO EXCEED 6 hulls.

The Frigates: The only Frigates the US Navy still had on active duty in 1999 were the Oliver Hazzard Perry Class. The 37 still active "Perrys" were both TOUGH and cheap to operate (the Coast Guard and Naval Reserve operated these as well). At this time, they still had their MK13 Single Arm Launchers (with 36 Standard AA missiles and 4 Harpoon missiles) but had added two waist-deck mounted MK38 25mm cannon (the unstabilized variant) behind the triple torpedo tubes. I could see the Navy adding Hellfire II launchers to the OHP but they are limited by their available surplus power AND hull-weight restrictions. The Perrys only have about 30 tons of extra weight capacity after adding the MK38s and extra munitions for their Helos. Perrys were often paired with Burkes to make up for the Burkes lack of helicopter facilities. They were also deployed singly in lower threat areas. The Perrys survive on a 1 or 2 on 1D10 with a maximum of 7 hulls surviving.

The Cyclone Class Patrol Cruisers: The 14 PCs (originally intended to support Navy Seals) Still had 13 ships on the registry with one ship transferred to the Phillippine Navy. I see these ships headed to the Gulf just like they are today. The Cyclones can transit the Littorals and even rivers so I see them taking several casualties. The chance of survival is 1 on 1D6 with a maximum of 4 hulls surviving.

Minewarfare Ships: The 18 ships still in service in 1999 would be prime targets and are also lightly armed. I see survival on a 1 on 1D10 with a maximum of 4 hulls surviving.

Amphibious assault Ships: This includes several classes such as the Wasp Class, the Raleigh Class, The Tarawas, and so forth. The total number of Amphibious Assault ships in 1999 is 41 vessels. I see these surviving on a 1 on 1D10 with 8 vessels TOTAL surviving.

Auxilliary Ships: The 57 Auxilliarys include Tankers, Ammo Supply ships, Bulk Haulers, and "Transfer Docks" for assaults. These ships survive on a roll of 1 on 1D10 with a maximum of 12 hulls surviving.

Command and Control Ships: The 4 C&C Ships were such high-value targets that I see them surviving only on a roll of 1 on 1D20.

The SSBMs: The "boomers" were another high-value target but we know at least ONE survived. I rate the 18 SSBMs as surviving on a roll of 1 on 1D10 with a minimum of ONE hull and a maximum of 3 hulls surviving the Twilight War.

The Subs: The US Navy had 57 nuclear subs in service in 1999. There were 2 Sea Wolf subs in service and the rest appear to be LA Class SSNs. I would roll a 1 on 1D10 to survive with a total of 10 hulls for the LA class. I would roll a 1 on 1D6 for the two Sea Wolf hulls to survive.

Those were the real-world hulls in service in 1999. Please Feel free to add or modify my list accordingly. The list also DOES NOT include the Reserve or Mothball Fleets.