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Russia's Military Budget-3 US CV's

Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 6:26 pm
by JOHN THURSTON
It is probably not news that Mr. President Putin plans to increase Russia's Military spending to a point where it will "in real terms" exceed that of the U.S. in a few years. His advisors have told him the "we can't afford it" but I have said for a long time that he 'has the look of real hate" about him.

I think it may be an attempt to "out Reagan-Reagan" as it is thought, rightly, that the US "spent the Soviet Union into oblivion". To quote from Nevil Shute's Book "On the Beach' where the last of mankind is holed up in Australia and its only carrier drained of gas to run a motorcar race like no other, where no one was afraid to take chances (in theory, and I will not pretend to remember the names of the main characters some 50 years later. one survivor (for the time being) said: "Well, we did expunge them" and the response was "Right, and we didn't do such a bad job on ourselves".

This comes at a time when the 'Council on assymettrical warfare stated "one misstep and the U.S. will be plunged into a 25 year depression>" Not cheering thought I guess.

To diverge again, I thought I asked the miniscule reading audience eagerly awaiting my return from surgery and rehab, there are 20 Carriers in the World. Who has what???

The Forrestal, named for the US's WWII secretary of the navy was sold for $.01. It bore the hull Number 59, I was just a kid.


Prior to the Forrestal, 3 very large carriers were built by the US: Coral Sea, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the MIidway. Of the three, only the Midway survived into my memory and it spent a great deal of time overseas as I believe it was based In Japan.

It might be an interesting research project to chart the history of the other two nearly forgotten behemoths.

Well, heck, I will see what I can find briefly in Jane's "American Fighthing Ships of the 20 century. (and Fred always asks me "don't you the Library". Well, some, but when I get authors like Mr O'reilly ("Killing Jesus"-Killing JFK etc. which I have finally puzzled out, believe it or not, and my storyis entirely plausible.

Regarding the "Midway Class" which now alone would be a threat to any other Navy's Air Arm, I can say: 1. Each weighed in at 55,000 tonnes full war load. Ie: About the size of France's vaunted Charles DeGaule, except they were completed between 1945 and 1946. the did not get to served in the conflict for which they were built. Upon completion they were :non angled deck" carriers. That innovation was created by the Britich, and I am not going to run off an find out which ship was the first angeled deck carrier in the world. In any a event, each mounted when launched "14 single radar guided five inch-38's (if you wish to now what that is, you will have to ask, or wait, or go to the library. Additionally, and 84 40mm quad mounts. The Print is very small in this jane's edition. and 83 20mm single mounts. But still, originally with the wooden decks, no-the first American Class of Amored flight deck carriers.

Midway and Coral Sea were noted as being converted to the angled deck configuration in the '60's. A similar modernization was completed with respect to the Coral Sea. this brought their gross displacement to "60, 0000 tonnes".

No mention is made of any extensive modernization to the FDR. I had heard she had her "hull bent" in a grounding incident, but no mention of it was made in Jane's. A further upgrade in weaponry was planned at the time of the book's writing .

As of 1960 missile and or early ciws were replacing the 5 inch guns and 40mm and 20mm gunnery in Midway and coral Sea. Since none of these carriers could pass thru the Panama Canal, Midway was more or less permanently consigned to the Pacific and Coral Sea (Hull numbers CV-41 and 43 respectively). My recollection tells me little of the service of the Coral Sea or why FDR was not modernized. Midway served on Yankee station (North SAR) with some distinction. Coral Sea's consignment to the Atlantic effectively meant service with the sixth fleet in "the Med".

These were truly impressive ships.. the USS Salem spent a lot of time near or around Yankee Station and provided devastating gunfire support, and effective duty as command ship.

Sadly, the USS Forrestal obtained the nickname USS Forest Fire with some justification, blowing huge holes in her decks started by an air armament (if memory serves) killing nearly 200 sailors. At the Same time, while Foerrestal never seemed to get back into the fight, the 1st nuclear power Carrier CVN-65, Enterprise, recovered from a similar incident and was back on Yankee station in a relatively short time. Perhaps being repaired in Japan.


An excellent novel about a naval gunfire spotter onshore dubbed the area struck by the combined 8" and 5" 38' of the Salem as a hail of steel. Approprately, it was named "The Fire Dream".

One can tell when a book has been penned by someone who was there. Flight of the Intrruder was one such novel and "Gerry Carrol" and author much encouraged to write three realistic novels: North SAR, Ghostrider One, which struck me with the "mini arc light" strikes carried out by the navy near Khe San, and "no place to hide. Sadly, Gerry died shortly after completing the third book.


Off to the library gang?

Well I hope so.

JOHN