International Martime Choke Points

[The Dark]

Originally Posted by dragoon500ly

Most antitank weapons don't have the punch to sink a containership at most you might be able to knock out the pilot house, perhaps damage the rudder and cause minor flooding. Even damaging the locks would be beyond humping a few rucks worth of C-4. Their best bet is to damage the pumping stations and the electrical stations.

You don't have to completely sink a container ship, just make it take on enough water to add 21 inches to its draft. The Canal had a maximum depth of 12.56 meters (41.2 feet). A Panamax container ship had a draft of 12.04 meters (39.5 feet). If it starts taking on water, it's grounding in the canal.

[dragoon500ly]

Originally Posted by The Dark

You don't have to completely sink a container ship, just make it take on enough water to add 21 inches to its draft. The Canal had a maximum depth of 12.56 meters (41.2 feet). A Panamax container ship had a draft of 12.04 meters (39.5 feet). If it starts taking on water, it's grounding in the canal.

Most containerships are double-hulled and multiple watertight compartments, admittedly not as well built as a warship, but still able to take several hits from antitank weapons. The effect of such a warhead hitting water may not do the damage necessary. The best hope is to knock out the pilot house, perhaps damage the rudder and maybe get a few hits into the engine room.

IMHO the best chance is a ramming attack with an explosive laden boat or to attack the various support systems.

[Olefin]

Sinking a containership in the Canal reminds me of what Bobby did in Shattered World - he had the Japanese use sub carriers to attack the canal (remember different timeline so they had them ready to use with torpedo carrying planes by war start) and they sank the Lexington in the canal to block it until they could refloat her - along with using naval torpedoes and bombs to damage some of the canal infrastructure

[kalos72]

Regardless of the method, that would have been done in 1997-1998 probably right?

Why do it after that, most of the world is DOA at that point.

[Olefin]

There is also the Suez Canal - and while there is no attack on the Canal itself there were attacks that caused it to be blocked according to the East Africa Sourcebook that is now canon - similar attacks could have blocked the exits of the Panama Canal

"Cairo, Suez and Alexandria are left in ruins by multiple strikes against the major refineries in those cities. While the Suez Canal is not directly targeted in the attack, the nuclear strikes on the refineries at Suez effectively block the southern end of the Canal with the wrecks of several merchant ships and tankers. Over three million Egyptians die in the attacks and another two million are severely wounded."

The canal was blocked for nearly three years until the French cleared the wrecks enough in the late summer of 2000 to get it open again

and the Panama Canal is very important to the US - most likely there would still be US forces in Panama even in 2000

in fact that might be where the Virginia was headed when she had her last battle a la Satellite Down

[Olefin]

And posted in another thread today - so that definitely says that the Canal is both still operational and in US hands as late as March 1999 - and since nuke attacks had ceased by then and the Soviet Navy was pretty much gone it sounds like its still a going concern

"V1 canon tells us (in Satellite Down) that
The Panama Canal was not hit in the initial TDM period (USS Virginia passed through it in December 1997)
The Panama Canal was still operational in March 1999 (USS Virginia was ordered to pass through it to get to the Atlantic).

Uncle Ted"

[Silent Hunter UK]

Suez itself was blocked by Egypt from 1967 to 1975. Not have it open adds considerable journey time for anyone heading from Europe to the Far East.