OT: Seven US aircraft carriers have been sunk in the past 30 years.

[Targan]

Let me preface my next comments by pointing out that I haven't bought into any of the recent discussions regarding WWII and the participation of various nations in it. I didn't get involved in the "Who could have won WWII" thread, in part because my knowledge level sits far below other participants in the conversation. So I'm not carrying any baggage or butt-hurt from the discussions earlier this week.

RN7, the way I read it, "all on their own" was you paraphrasing, not making a direct quote from an author. Then you justified it with "at sea what percentage of the Allied naval vessels and aircraft were American from 1942 onwards?". I'm not accusing you of criticizing the Australian armed forces, in fact I'd be surprised if you did as your posts are almost uniformly reasoned and well-informed. I took umbrage at the almost casual total editing-out of Australia's contribution to the Pacific war, small though that contribution might have been.

Unkated, "Didn't we just go through this idiocy in another topic?" means nothing to me. I wasn't involved. On a per capita basis, Australia and New Zealand expended huge amounts of blood, sweat and tears in both world wars, so yeah, we get a little touchy when our contributions, modest as they may have been, get dismissed as not worth a mention in the grand scheme of things. I didn't post what I wrote as some piece of attention seeking faux-outrage. Do you recall me having a history of that sort of behavior on these forums?

Whether any of you care about me taking offence as I did, well that's your business.

[RN7]

Originally Posted by Targan

RN7, the way I read it, "all on their own" was you paraphrasing, not making a direct quote from an author. Then you justified it with "at sea what percentage of the Allied naval vessels and aircraft were American from 1942 onwards?". I'm not accusing you of criticizing the Australian armed forces, in fact I'd be surprised if you did as your posts are almost uniformly reasoned and well-informed. I took umbrage at the almost casual total editing-out of Australia's contribution to the Pacific war, small though that contribution might have been.

Well Targan all I can say is that I am very sorry for causing you offence as that was not my intension. I do know a good deal about Australia's contribution to the Pacific War and I know it was far from minor. In my own defence I posted my reply to Legbreaker without reviewing it properly, and part of my reply could have been better thought out.

Originally Posted by Targan

Whether any of you care about me taking offence as I did, well that's your business.

I don't think anybody on this board wants to offend another member, so I think that I would care if you are offended.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by RN7

I don't think anybody on this board wants to offend another member, so I think that I would care if you are offended.

Absolutely correct for my part. So little emotion is transmitted by the written word compared to a face to face chat over a few drinks. It's all too easy to forget that what you read is only a small part of what the person is saying, and often the readers mind can jump to the wrong conclusion. This is especially true if there's been tension in the air in recent times as on this forum lately.

It's ALWAYS best to step away from the keyboard, consider what other meanings the post you're about to respond to may have, and relax for a while before typing even one single word. I challenge anyone here to claim they've never over reacted - I sure as hell have.

[LT. Ox]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Absolutely correct for my part. So little emotion is transmitted by the written word compared to a face to face chat over a few drinks. It's all too easy to forget that what you read is only a small part of what the person is saying, and often the readers mind can jump to the wrong conclusion. This is especially true if there's been tension in the air in recent times as on this forum lately.

It's ALWAYS best to step away from the keyboard, consider what other meanings the post you're about to respond to may have, and relax for a while before typing even one single word. I challenge anyone here to claim they've never over reacted - I sure as hell have.

And perhaps should one more time.
Some one posted a line about the poor training that We In the US had in the '60s.
it was just an aside remark and not directed at me, the problem was/is I was a product of that training and then part of the machine that trained the 19 and 20 year olds to go to Viet Nam.
I took the remark very personal, still do.
I wanted so much to keep each and every GI alive, I want to "get the job done" as we used ta say and some one here stated we were not up to it.

I know National pride often gets in the way of rational thought and I am at times just as guilt as the next but folks I do not belittle or attack others in that pride.
Now here this ....PLEASE.... some few of the people here are Vets and have been in harm’s way, the events that you talk about so casually are very real to us I did not live through the hell of WWII but I did two tours in VIET NAM was shot and blown up and had a lot of my brothers killed and or wounded.
To say that they were poorly trained is a hurt that I have a hard time overlooking.
My Father was in the NAVY in WWII in the Pacific and served on the Hornet. My two uncles were in WWII in the US Army Airforce and shot down over Germany and interred. My father’s best friend served in the US Marine Corp and did The Island thing from Guadel (sic) Canal on. They are all gone now but I remember the stories and the pain they went through.
We all took/take advantage of the US Veterans Hospitals. Perhaps you may get it.
I am not asking you to forgo your debate, just think about those you are talking about as real people not just numbers to be discarded.

[Targan]

Fair enough. We're good.

[Raellus]

The U.S. is lagging behind in ASM capability. Go ahead and laugh at Russia's supersonic ASMs and China's ballistic ASMs, but American Harpoons and SM-6s are arguably much worse ship-killing weapons. This is what putting most of your eggs in carrier air-power gets you.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/mili...in-the-future/

[Legbreaker]

And that essentially is what the thesis I've been talking about confirms. The US Navy relies too heavily on technology and it's carriers and almost ignores ASW. They've also got a problem with training and keeping technicians with some vital maintenance roles (and a few operational ones too!) currently filled by civilians who will not be accompanying the vessels should they go to war.
Many ships are currently undermanned in critical areas and some grossly over-manned with commissioned officers (one example is of a ship with a requirement of about 15 officers but having 34 assigned to it, most obviously having nothing to do). Crews are also rotated to quickly - almost the moment a crewmember gains competency (but not expertise) they're often reassigned to a new, completely different role, usually on a different vessel.

The US Navy has serious problems, but nothing that can't be fixed if there's a will to do it. The problem is though there is currently no will - too many high ranking officers with too much to loose if the problems are admitted to.

[RN7]

Originally Posted by Raellus

The U.S. is lagging behind in ASM capability. Go ahead and laugh at Russia's supersonic ASMs and China's ballistic ASMs, but American Harpoons and SM-6s are arguably much worse ship-killing weapons. This is what putting most of your eggs in carrier air-power gets you.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/mili...in-the-future/

No one is laughing at other countries ASM capabilities Raellus but the primary threat to US Navy aircraft carriers remains Russian air-launched supersonic anti-ship missiles launched from the Tu-22M bomber.

For any warship fitted with anti-ship missiles to get within range of a US Navy aircraft carrier they would have to be able to launch beyond the range of the carrier escorts air defence screen and the range of carrier aircraft. The US Navy positions most of its carrier escorts about 20 km from the carrier. But an air defence tactic the US Navy also use is to place escorts in emissions silence between 100 and 250 km out along an expected axis of threat. Also carrier aircraft are usually positioned about 300 km from the aircraft carrier on CAP, and that range can be extended.

US Navy escort warships are very well defended against the threat of hostile anti-ship missiles and aircraft. AN/SPY-1D 3D radars, AN-SPS-67 and AN-SPS-73 surface search radars, AN/SLQ-32 (V)2 EW system, RIM-66M, RIM-162 ESSM and RIM-174 ERAM SAM's, RIM-161 ABM system, Phalanx and Mark 36 SRBOC decoys.

In addition to the Harpoon the US Navy also uses AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER air launched cruise missiles which is carried by US Navy F/A-18, P-3C, P-8 and USAF F-15E. It has a range of 250 km and is extremely accurate, with the best Circular Area of Probable (CEP) among any munitions in the US Navy.

The Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) will replace the current Harpoon anti-ship missile from 2018 or 2019, and pioneers autonomous targeting capabilities for anti-ship missiles. Some were actually put into limited production and deployed on US Navy ships in 2014. It can be launched from US Navy ships fitted with the Mk 41 VLS launcher and US Navy and USAF aircraft. The Norwegian company Konigsberg is also developing the Naval Strike Weapon as a competitor to the LRASM for the US contract. The Next Generation Strike Capability (NGSC) missile which combines land attack and anti-surface warfare capabilities and which will replace the Tomahawk is also in the works.

The Chinese DF-21D anti-carrier ballistic missile needs an OTH radar and RORSAT to track a US carrier, and they would hope that the US carrier was standing still. Even if they have a powerful and effective OTH radar (which I doubt) the accuracy wouldn't be good enough and they would need recon aircraft and warships/submarines to help track the carrier. And that would be in a sea of clutter and US counter-measures, yet alone US anti-ballistic missiles and anti-aircraft defences. If China has an operational OTH radar capable of tracking a US carrier offshore it will be the first thing the US will eliminate in hostilities, and quicker than China will believe possible. Russian kh-22 missiles launched from Tu-22M bombers are a lot more effective and devastating.