SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post - Are blue water conflicts a thing of the past?

Gorshkov · 12-03-07, 01:44 PM

Note one big difference between US and Soviet naval situation. United States have open access to two World oceans. In contrary USSR was surrounded by thirteen closed littoral seas with problematic wartime access to the oceans. That is why US Navy was never interested in possessing warships smaller than a frigate and conventional submarines. Soviets were mainly concerned about littoral forces after World War II. Therefore Soviet Navy heavily invested in medium submarines. Your 550 sub strong fleet is taken from early 1960s when Z, W and Q classes building program was finished. However only a few dozens Zulu-class subs were oceangoing vessels. Later Soviets switched mainly to expensive nuclear subs and their fleet dropped to 270-350 submarines in 1980s, half of them conventional junk. As you can see in practical terms US and USSR undersea power was equal!

In sum, blue fleet navy program introduced in 1970s with leaving littoral fleet intact was rather stupid phantasmagoria in Soviet situation both economically and strategically...

12-03-07, 01:44 PM	#26
Gorshkov Commodore Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 604 Downloads: 139 Uploads: 0	Note one big difference between US and Soviet naval situation. United States have open access to two World oceans. In contrary USSR was surrounded by thirteen closed littoral seas with problematic wartime access to the oceans. That is why US Navy was never interested in possessing warships smaller than a frigate and conventional submarines. Soviets were mainly concerned about littoral forces after World War II. Therefore Soviet Navy heavily invested in medium submarines. Your 550 sub strong fleet is taken from early 1960s when Z, W and Q classes building program was finished. However only a few dozens Zulu-class subs were oceangoing vessels. Later Soviets switched mainly to expensive nuclear subs and their fleet dropped to 270-350 submarines in 1980s, half of them conventional junk. As you can see in practical terms US and USSR undersea power was equal! In sum, blue fleet navy program introduced in 1970s with leaving littoral fleet intact was rather stupid phantasmagoria in Soviet situation both economically and strategically... Last edited by Gorshkov; 12-03-07 at 02:48 PM.