IntroductionWith the outbreak of hostilities 7 days ago, the British ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) HMS Revenge has just completed a quick turn around, and is proceeding out of Faslane Naval Base to get back to sea.
Fully loaded with Polaris A-3 SLBMs, she has now been tasked to resume her nuclear deterrent patrol close to UK waters but still in range of her assigned targets.
Intel suggests that her passage to her patrol area may be compromised, as numerous COMINT intercepts have made reference to Soviet diesel and nuclear-powered submarines close in to the western UK coast; no doubt trying to corner and sink the Revenge before she makes it out to open sea.
The UK's independent strategic nuclear force must be protected at all costs. To this end all other assets, hardware and men alike, are expendable.
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| HMS Revenge (S27) |
Situation HMS Revenge has departed Faslane Naval Base to take up her patrol station. Soviet Submarines previously reported in the area still remain unaccounted for. Additional ASW forces have been deployed to protect HMS Revenge's transit to her patrol station.
Enemy Forces Intelligence and sighting by fishing boats indicate a number of Soviet SSK and SSN's are in and around northern Scotland. Their intention is likely to intercept and sink the Revenge.
Friendly Forces
RAF Kinloss
- 206 Sqn (Nimrod MR.1)
- 814 Sqn (SeaKing Mk1)
UK SSBN Escort Frigates: HMS Leander FFH, HMS Plymouth FFH, HMS Matapan Aux FF
Mission
Protect HMS Revenge at all costs. All other assigned forces are expendable.
Execution
1. Using Nimrod MPAs, conduct barrier operations around patrol area.
2. Sea King ASW Helos to dip ahead of HMS Revenge and sanitise the area using active/passive sensors.
Command and EMCON
Command: HQ Northwood
EMCON: Alpha-Limited Emissions
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| HMS Revengeneeds to safely transit to its patrol area (marked in red) |
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| HMS Leander |
230617Z Torpedoes in the water, 279 degrees, 0.5nm! HMS Leander detects two torpedoes heading for her. Leander turns hard to starboard in an attempt to evade the target, but is hit and sunk.
A Sea King is immediately sent to the area in an attempt to prosecute the submarine that took out the Leander.
230813Z Vampire! Vampire! HMS Plymouth detects an incoming cruise missile, 270 deg for 12nm. Plymouth activates jammers.
230834Z Vampire! Another cruise missile is detected inbound to Plymouth.
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| HMS Plymouth |
230914Z The first Sea Cat misses its target. A second Sea Cat is launched, but at the second Vampire. A fourth Vampire is detected inbound. Plymouth is in deep trouble.
230923Z The first Vampire hits the Plymouth and sinks her.
232401Z Another submarine contact is detected. HMS Matapan, the sole RN ship in the area, launches its Wessex ASW helicopter to prosecute the contact.
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| HMS Matapan |
In the meantime, a sonobuoy from one of the patrolling Nimrods detects a submarine, and begins prosecution of the contact.
232625Z Nimrod 3 drops on Goblin 30.
232751Z Matapan’s Wessex drops on Goblin 31. The Wessex then hovers and lowers its dipping sonar, localizing the target.
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| Westland Wessex ASW Helicopter |
233951Z The Sea Kings have localized Goblin 25--the submarine which sunk the Leander and the Plymouth. It drops two torpedoes, one of which hits, but does not sink the submarine. The sub is almost certainly out of action, but we’ll have to make sure.
234048Z The Nimrods drop another torpedo on their contact...and impact it. The sonar sounds strange, however. It is speculated that the target is a Biologic: Tuna Fishes of all things. We cannot afford mistakes like this.
234221Z Matapan Flt 1 drops on Goblin 31, which is painfully close to the Matapan.
234545Z Goblin 25 is sunk by depth charge.
235954Z Goblin 31 is sunk by depth charge dropped by the same Sea King (#5). Good work.
August 15, 1975 000143Z Another contact, this one between the Matapan and the Revenge. A Sea King is dispatched to prosecute. Things are a bit sticky.
Meanwhile the Nimrods have picked up another contact as well.
001441Z What the…? A new contact, Skunk 1, is identified as hostile as a SSV Mayak, an intelligence gathering ship. Treachery! The Soviets must have sneaked this guy in. Frankly, I should have expected this. Of course, I have no assets to counter it.
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| SSV Mayak |
001806Z Torpedo in the water! Goblin 32 launches against the Revenge. Not good. Revenge attempts to evade, staying as close to the bottom as possible. My attempt to force it to evade the Mayak was a bad mistake.
001949Z The Sea King drops on Goblin 32, damaging but not destroying it. In the meantime, Revenge, hugging the bottom still and driving at 25 kts, is within weapon range of the Intelligence ship, which fires some depth charges. The situation is a tiny bit tense.
002004Z This may be it…
002026Z Fortunately the depth charges miss. Revenge turns north to evade the Mayak.
002208Z Revenge is hit by a depth charge. Crap. Several systems are damaged, including its active sonar array and the Nuclear Reactor itself. Over the next 20 minutes, Revenge is subjected to relentless depth charging by the SSV Mayak. Near misses damage the passive sonar arrays, destroy two torpedo tubes, and damage a third. Flinching under the unceasing explosions, the crew of the Revenge work feverishly to repair the damage.
005442Z A pair of torpedoes launched at Goblin #32 hit and sink it. This is good news, but the Mayak continues to be the biggest threat.
The Revenge tries to creep away, and eventually the depth charging ceases. By 020000Z some of the damage to the Revenge has been repaired, including the damage to the reactor.
Mayak continues to be a threat, and the problem is that there are few weapons available to damage it. Matapan eventually launches its Wessex armed with four AS.11 missiles, which are small missiles that have no hope of sinking the Mayak, but perhaps it can distract it for a while.
Two of the missiles fail to impact, but two succeed, doing some superficial damage to the Mayak.
A second ship enters the area and begins launched depth charges towards the Revenge, clearly this is another ship like the Mayak.
Depth charges impact around the Revenge.
Matapan guns its engines in an attempt to disrupt the attack, while the Revenge attempts to slip away. Matapan suffers some damage from the proximity of the depth charges.
Revenge begins to pull away fom the Soviet vessels, and begins to make a run for it. Unfortunately, a new submarine contact, Goblin #35, is detected a mere 4nm away! Torpedoes in the water! Revenge snapshots a torpedo at the soviet submarine, goes to flank speed and runs.
A Sea King arrives on the scene and drops depth charges on the submarine contact and fortunately, kills it.
055108Z The Soviet torpedo runs out of energy, and the Revenge survives by the skin of its teeth.
By this time most of the surface contacts are behind the Revenge, so the captain decides to race to the patrol area. Speed is increased in the hopes of opening the distance. Matapan keeps an eye on the contacts.
The next twelve hours are quiet, but tense.
174002Z Finally the Revenge arrives on station.
234000Z And several hours after that, the mission is complete.
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LOSSES:
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2x Wasp HAS.1
1x F 109 Leander [Type 12I Leander Batch 1, Ikara]
1x F 107 Rothesay [Type 12M]
1x Wessex HAS.3
EXPENDITURES:
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2x SSQ-947 Julie Active Range-Only [AN/SSQ-47]
199x Type 17054 Active Directional [Mk1c]
99x Type 17053 Passive Directional [Mk1c]
76x AN/SSQ-47 Julie Active Range-Only
2x Sea Cat Mod 1
2x 114mm/45 Mk6 Twin HE Burst [2 rnds]
2x Corvus Chaff [Distraction]
2x Corvus Chaff [Seduction]
2x Corvus Flare
302x Type 30059 LOFAR [Mk1c]
13x Mk46 LWT Mod 2
4x Mk11 Depth Charge
2x Mk44 Mod 1
4x AS.11
1x Mk23 Grog
SIDE: Soviet Union
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LOSSES:
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1x PLARK-661 Papa [Anchar]
1x PL-641B Tango [Som]
1x PLA-671 Victor I [Yorsh]
1x PL- 613 Whiskey V
EXPENDITURES:
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3x SET-65M Enot-2 [NATO ET-80A[76]]
4x SS-N-7 Starbright [P-70 Ametist]
5x Generic Acoustic Decoy
76x RBU-2500 Salvo [16 rnds]
1x SET-65 Enot [NATO ET-80A[67]]
SIDE: Biological
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LOSSES:
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2x Biologic Tuna Fishes
EXPENDITURES:
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SIDE: Neutral Shipping
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LOSSES:
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EXPENDITURES:
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