Fire on Admiral Kuznetzov

[besilarius]

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/major-fire-breaks-out-on-russian-aircraft-carrier/

The damage from earlier in the year, when the floating drydock he was in sank, has not been repaired.  This may be the final nail in the coffin.  Funding for the navy is being cut, and he may not be deemed worth the cost.
And folks scoff that sailors feel some ships are jinxed.

[Gusington]

Oh dear.

[JasonPratt]

Remember back in WW1 when Russia started the war with the largest submarine fleet in the world? -- and they kind of went back to that theme once WW2 was done?

I'm thinking the spirit of their navy is trying to tell them something.

[Gusington]

Restore the monarchy?

[Con]

Pick a sea fight with Japan

[JasonPratt]

To be fair to the Soviet Navy, I should clarify that they did in fact have a very substantial submarine fleet on the morning of June 22, 1941. Not sure they had the largest sub fleet in the world, but it was large enough to achieve total logistic supremacy over the Baltic and nearby Atlantic area and screw over the Nazis (and anyone else trying to get supplies to and between northern European coastlines.)

Liepaya Naval Base, less than 65 miles from the East Prussian border, had submarines packed in like "sardines in a box", ready to sally. They didn't have defensive ground forces in defensive arrangements to protect the fleet (one of the largest Soviet Marine groups but not in defensive arrangement), but they did have the fleet!

For about, oh, nine hours.  >:D They were immediately overrun (despite a heroic attempt at ad hoc defense by the Soviet Marines), and the crews weren't able to sortie because the crews weren't expecting to deal with defensive fighting in any way whatsoever.

But they did have a large and very modern fleet on the morning of Barbarossa!

[Gusington]

The extent of your knowledge of Soviet force dispositions frightens and disturbs me.

[Sir Slash]

In Soviet Russia you no knows Pratt, Pratt knows YOU.  ^-^

[JasonPratt]

To clarify again...  >:D

When I say that Liepaya Naval Base had "one of the largest Soviet Marine groups" there, I mean they had the only official Soviet Marine Brigade at that time, several thousand troops, the largest Marine group available at the time. They had no naval transport to amount to anything, and weren't preparing to go anywhere by sea; nor were they training and preparing to defend the Naval Base.

The story of early Soviet amphibious assault groups (mostly in the Red Army) is very.... interesting.  >:D Of course, they were all wiped out in the opening days and weeks of Barbarossa, but in their defense they weren't preparing to defend anywhere. They were very busy meticulously and devotedly practicing what amphibious assault groups are supposed to be practicing: amphibious assault by ocean and across rivers. (Including the amphibious Special Rifle Corps, down in the Crimea, three days before Barbie, which ran the first division-sized Soviet ocean amphibious landing practice operation at that time.)  :-"

[Dammit Carl!]

Hot! Hot! Hot!

[besilarius]

The latest report admits the fire started with a welding torch.
This is pretty common in shipyards, the yard birds are always welding something in a confined space.
in the west, at least, the yard has an efficient firefighting apparatus for these situations.

[Tripoli]

The latest report admits the fire started with a welding torch.
This is pretty common in shipyards, the yard birds are always welding something in a confined space.
in the west, at least, the yard has an efficient firefighting apparatus for these situations.

We also station sailor on both sides of the bulkheads where welding is being done.  Very boring duty, but this is why we do it.

[besilarius]

And we all know how good sailors are with boring duty!