Those Who Hunt Goblins, 1973

The USN vs. Soviet Submarines in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Version 1. 1 for CMANO Build 839 West of Bermuda, 9 October 1973. October 1973 is a time of increasing tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. Russia's proxy Egypt and her Arab allies are at war with America's proxy Israel and the latter has suffered some significant defeats. Both the USN and Red Banner Fleets have rushed naval reinforcements into the Med and with the two navies operating at close proximity, the possibility for accident or opportunity sneak attack is considered very great. For the first time since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis the US has set DEFCON-3 while ships of both sides play an ever more serious game of cat and mouse, frequently illuminating their opponents with fire control radars while training weapon mounts at each other's ships and planes. Fortunately, for the most part the agreed conventions for incidents at sea are working as intended while cool heads are preventing shots from being fired and the expansion of the crisis. The diplomats are still talking and so far there has been no escalation outside the region while the channels of communications between Washington and Moscow remain open. At this particular moment in time America's strategic posture is badly out of balance as virtually all the available aircraft carriers are deployed off Southeast Asia or in support of operations in the Middle East with the Sixth Fleet and NATO contingency deployments in the North East Atlantic. The only significant naval force to protect the Eastern Seaboard of the United States is the Intrepid Battle Group with her hybrid air group and ad hoc collection of escorts. This would not normally be an issue but the crisis in the Med has siphoned off most of the SSN's that normally track and trail the Soviet SSBN's operating in the Western Atlantic. At least three Soviet nuclear submarines, two of them believed to be Yankee SSBN's are operating between Bermuda and the coast and under