WWIII Naval Losses: Soviet SSN/SSGN Force Part I

The Red Navy’s submarine force sustained unprecedented and historic losses in the Third World War. The hulks of Soviet subs littered the ocean floor from the Norwegian Sea to the Western Pacific. As anticipated by both NATO and Soviet pre-war analyses, most wartime losses occurred in the North Atlantic and Norwegian Sea. The Red Banner …

Damaged Equals Killed Part II

Across the board in the Third World War, damage control officers and sailors worked heroically to save their stricken ships. Some efforts were ultimately successful while others were not. In many cases owing to circumstances beyond their control. For the officers and sailors who were able to extinguish fires and restore stability and buoyancy, their …

North Atlantic: Death Of The Backfires D+24 (2 August, 1987) Part I

In late July and early August of 1987, naval threat facing the Soviet Red Banner Northern Fleet and the Kola Peninsula had broadened to involve a potential amphibious assault on Soviet territory. The Northern Fleet no longer had the capability to challenge Strike Fleet Atlantic symmetrically. Most of the fleet’s major warships were, by this …

Even A Paranoid Can Have Enemies D+24 (2 August, 1987) 0500-1030 Zulu

0500 Zulu- In Moscow the first indications of a Kremlin power struggle start to take shape. Marshal Akhromeyev informs KGB Chairman Viktor Chebrikov of the battlefield nuclear attacks in East Germany. Chebrikov advises the senior Soviet military officer to inform the general secretary of this event, and more significant, not to accept any orders by …

As Ready As They Can Be D+24 (2 August, 1987) 0200-0250 Zulu

0205 Zulu- In Moscow, General Secretary Romanov selects a retaliatory response option, and the decision is finalized. It will be some 45 minutes until Western TVD completes the necessary preparations. In the meantime, Romanov turns to the handling an assortment of important tasks. The first of which is delaying the Politburo meeting until 0715. 0215 …

D+23 (1 August, 1987) 0930-1100 Zulu

The Northern Norwegian Sea, 100 km southeast of Bear Island 0930 Zulu (1130 Local) One hundred kilometers southeast of Bear Island, the Oscar I class SSGN Minskiy Komsomolets was cruising south at twelve knots. The large submarine’s depth was two hundred meters beneath the surface, and it was on a southern course for the moment. …

The North Atlantic D+22 (31 July 1987) Part III (Charlie)

NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT) was escorted into the Situation Room on the basement level of the White House at 0930 EDT. Upon entering the wood-paneled conference room, Admiral Lee Baggett, US Navy noted more officials, civilian and military, than normal. One of the men seated against the wall in a chair was John …

The North Atlantic D+22 (31 July 1987) Part III (Bravo)

Planning and preparation took center stage in Severomorsk and at airbases and other military installations located from the Kola Peninsula to Arkhangelsk. Long Range Aviation and Naval Aviation bombers, submarines, surface ships and almost every piece of military equipment remaining in the region, and their crews were preparing a maximum defensive effort. Their target was …

The North Atlantic D+22 (31 July 1987) Part III (Alpha)

0405- News of the failed Badger attack on Strike Fleet Atlantic reaches Norfolk. SACLANT agrees with strike fleet commander’s assessment of the situation, which was helpfully included with the initial report. After reading over the telex, SACLANT ordered his staff to  be recalled immediately (it was 2105 hours, the previous evening in Virginia). Then he …

The North Atlantic D+22 (31 July 1987) Part II (Bravo)

Radar-guided and heat-seeking missiles joined the fray next as the four Forrestal Tomcats engaged. With each second that passed, the air battle became even more chaotic. The Soviet raid commander was now fully cognizant his aircraft—and crews—were suffering heavy losses. Once the US Navy fighters moved in to make use of their Sidewinders. In the …