Sixth Fleet: Day 2 - PM Cycle

It's the afternoon of the second day and the storms raging in parts of the Mediterranean continue unabated.

Here's a brief recap of significant events that have happened so far:

1.)  Ceasefire negotiations have begun between the US and Soviet Union.  Progress seems to be good and both sides are trying to avert all-out war.  In the meantime, the fleets continue to skirmish.  The Soviets have gained 18 VPs from Sea Denial.

2.)  The Russian air force has launched bomber attacks from the Crimea, utterly destroying the Turkish surface fleet.  Another bombing operation has succeeded in sinking the Yugoslav frigate Split.

3.)  Israeli and American subs have cornered the Soviet fleet in the Syrian port of Tartus.  Soviet subs have likewise used the storm to work their way undetected towards the nearby American carrier task force.

4.)  The Moroccans and the Algerians have taken turns punishing each other with little gain for either side.

5.)  The large and menacing Soviet Black Sea Fleet approaches the Turkish straits.

Day 2 PM...

US Air Segment:

The US activates the P3s sitting in Rota and they try for an attack the Soviet sub Perm sitting near Cartagena.  No luck.

Morrocan attack planes bomb Algiers, inflicting some damage on the airbase.  An American B-52 task force utterly decimates the airbase with a follow-up strike, taking out half the Algerian air force and doing considerable damage to their fuel and ordnance as well.

I feel I should be using the B-52s to hit at the Black Sea Fleet but with the weather and lack of escort fighters available, they're stuck in the kiddy pool swatting at flies.

The US and its allies have done a good job of mopping up the Western Med. of enemies but there are still a couple of Soviet subs operating in the area.

USSR submarine segment:

The Soviets refuse to give up the Western Med without a fight.  The Svesa finds the USS Drum off the southern coast of Spain, damaging it severely.

Several other Soviet subs and a Libyan sub work their way towards the luckless US surface task force near Sicily.  The US surface ships are being surrounded.

A couple more Soviet subs in the Eastern Med. make their way towards the US carrier task force, which is blind and vulnerable, sitting in the stormy seas off Cyprus.

US Surface segment:

The US carrier task force, faced with little choice, moves off the coast of Cyprus and away from tomorrow's designated amphibious landing zone in Famagusta.  This move, however, gets them temporarily out of range of the encroaching Soviet subs.

US Task Force 1, led by the frigates Stark and Thach, head east from the Western Med in hopes of reaching Sicily and helping the other beleaguered US task force sitting there.

USSR air segment:

 The Soviet bombers up in the Black Sea are bottled up thanks to storms down south.  The only option would be to fly through neutral countries to get at some minor Yugoslav units.  Since it's not worth bringing in yet another ally for the Americans, the Soviets cool it and leave the bombers on the tarmac for now.

The Libyans are also grounded due to storms and the Algerians are still licking their wounds from the earlier B-52 strike.

US submarine segment:

The damaged USS Drum has no chance of fighting of the Svesa so it heads east and picks a fight with the damaged Soviet sub Perm, sinking it.  So far, the USS Drum has racked up several kills, proudly living up to her WWII namesake.

public domain image
The USS Drum SSN-677.


The Turkish sub Atilay sits near the Turkish straits, silently waiting for the Black Sea fleet to arrive.  It remains undetected and does not move.

USSR surface segment:

The Black Sea fleet is very close to the Turkish straits yet remains undetected thanks to some clever maneuvering by the Russians.  Just to give you an idea of how large the fleet is, it consists of three separate task forces and about 24 ships.

The Soviets also have a carrier task force in the Central Med. which heads east towards Crete, in hopes of securing a landing at Iraklion.


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