Thread: Carrier Battle Group Essay

Agreed Gun.To look at things realistically if you are going to have a Blue water Navy you must have atleast two carriers afloat. Really you should have three..One to cover while one under refit etc. But no less then two. France appears likely to be able to pull this off in the not so distant future as well as a few other countries that should atleast field one in the next 10 years. It will be interesting to re evaluate this in the next five years.

Russia is not considered in this because they currently field atleast one good carrier (Kustanov) but several exceptional subs.

YouTube - Warships on Google Earth

Google earth link for locating certain class warships. Note it is only as good as the date researched. Just for fun.

"CdG has been deployed to that area at least 4 times that i know since 2002, usually for 6-7 months."

I haven't researched much about French OEF ship/carrier deployments and it is really cool that members here have.

We stay informed by the volume of knowledge of each other.

Originally Posted by Batman47

I haven't researched much about French OEF ship/carrier deployments and it is really cool that members here have.

mostly assembled it from Netmarine.

Taskforce 473

Area (usually): entire Indian Ocean, in particular North between India and Arabic Peninsula; Afghanistan; India
Deployment Times:
Dec 2001 - Jul 2002
Mar 2004 - Jun 2004
Jan 2006 - Jun 2006
Mar 2007 - Aug 2007 (roughly)
Airgroup of CdG:
12-16 Super Etendard
2-9 Rafale F1
0-2 Rafale F2 (first deployment in 2007)
2 E-2C Hawkeye
2 Dauphin
2 Puma
Usual escort group:
3 ASW/GP units (usually two Georges Leygues class frigates, plus either a A69 Aviso or a British Type 23)
1 AAW destroyer (Cassard class)
1 SSN (Rubis class)
1 replenishment ship (Durance class)
Amphibious component for 2nd deployment only: 1 LPD (Foudre class)

In those years where Taskforce 473 didn't deploy, CdG was in the drydock with follow-on weapons integration tests (2003), or on joint maneuvers with USN carriers in the North Atlantic (2005). A couple minor maneuvers, e.g. with the German Navy, mostly in the Mediterranean, also came inbetween.
Didn't add up the combat sorties during these deployments, but for the 2001/2002 deployment it was 217 sorties for 16 Super Etendards in Afghanistan. During that time Stennis and Theodore Roosevelt were also in the area, i think, which was used for some mutual landing training experience.

Do you think this was the time frame of the French Carrier Deploymet?

On 17 August 2002, John F. Kennedy with CVW-7 embarked arrived Mayport Naval Station, Florida, with Captain Ronald H. Henderson, Jr in command, ending her fourth Arabian Sea/Gulf (Persian Gulf) deployment operating alongside her battle group deployed in support of Operation Anaconda unleashed by U.S. ground forces in Afghanistan to trap al Qaeda terrorists and their Taliban supporters known to be holed-up in the Shah-e-Kot Valley, south of Gardez in southeastern Afghanistan and Operation Enduring Freedom, the global war on terrorism. John F. Kennedy and her consorts completed phase II of Joint Task Force Exercise 02-01 (7 to 15 February), in the midst of which, on 12 February 2002, Captain Ronald H. Henderson, Jr., relieved Captain Greene, who had presided over the ship’s successful preparations for her deployment, as commanding officer, beginning with her Battle group their “Trans-Atlantic Journey, leaving the coast of North Carolina on 16 February 2002, chopped into the 6th Fleet on 21 February 2002 to deploy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, entering the Strait of Gibraltar, and then the Mediterranean Sea on 23 February 2002, Rear Admiral Tomaszeski’s flag as ComCarGru 6 becoming Commander TG 60.3, underway in the Mediterranean Sea operating with the 6th Fleet from 24 to 26 February 2002, making a stop at Souda Bay, Crete from 27 to 28 February 2002. After pausing briefly at Souda Bay, John F. Kennedy pointed her bow toward the North Arabian Sea Operating Area on 1 March 2002, underway 50 miles south of Crete from 1 to 2 March 2002, conducting flight-training operations on 2 March 2002, when Lieutenant Commander Christopher M. Blaschum of VF-143 based at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Va, encountered nose gear problems during launch. Both he and Lieutenant (j.g.) Rafe Wysham, his RIO, 25, of Madras, Oregon exited the F-14B. “[Two] Souls in water,” noted the ship’s log soon thereafter; SAR helicopters SH-60 Seahawks from HS-5 and rigid inflatable boats from JFK and USS THE SULLIVANS (DDG 68) the latter employed when the carrier’s whaleboat went dead in the water as the rescue efforts unfolded, retrieved Wysham in good condition, but Lieutenant Commander Blaschum, 33, of Virginia Beach, Va., married and the father of two boys, died of injuries suffered in the ejection. The accident happened when the F-14's nose wheel failed during the catapult shot. This resulted in the jet's airspeed being too low to gain control. John F. Kennedy commenced her 11th Suez Canal transit steaming southward to the Northern Arabian Sea on 4 March 2002 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, one day after the commencement of Operation Anaconda, unleashed by U.S. ground forces in Afghanistan to trap al Qaeda terrorists and their Taliban supporters known to be holed-up in the Shah-e-Kot Valley, south of Gardez in southeastern Afghanistan, relieving USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and her battle group in the Red Sea on 6 March 2002, conducting a turn-over with CVN-71, transferring supplies from CVN-71, transiting the Strait of Bab El Mandeb on 7 March 2002, joining forces with USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) and her consorts in the northern Arabian Sea. Captain Henderson, on the eve of the ship’s launching her first strikes in support of Enduring Freedom, addressed his crew on 10 March 2002: “We are currently proceeding, at best speed, to our launch strike for tonight’s strikes, off the coast of Pakistan, nearly 700 miles south of our targets in Afghanistan. At midnight, CVW-7 will launch into the dark night and strike their first blows of Operation Enduring Freedom, the war on terrorism. For us this is a culminating point in space, a culminating point in time, and a culminating point in history.” John F. Kennedy with air wing CVW-7 commenced their first combat sortie in the North Arabian Sea in support of Operations Anaconda and Operation Enduring Freedom on 11 March 2002. During a night mission over Afghanistan on 12 March 2002, Commander John C. Aquilino, VF-11’s commanding officer, and Lieutenant Commander Kevin Protzman made the first combat strike of the Mk. 84 2,000-pound JDAM -- a guided air-to-surface weapon utilizing a tail control system and the Global Positioning System for guidance -- from their F-14B Tomcat. While underway, John F. Kennedy’s combat system’s CS-4 division replaced one of the motors on the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) antenna. With the equipment restored, the crew enjoyed better access to telephones, e-mail and the Internet. DSCS provided 40% of the bandwidth for shipboard communications and after CS-4’s work, there was less e-mail backlog and the Internet rendered more accessible. John F. Kennedy welcomed Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer and his partner Bertram van Munster, in April 2002 to begin 30 days of filming on board the carrier. Their project, Profiles from the Front Line, had access to John F. Kennedy, other ships operating with her, and military forces on the ground in Afghanistan. The guided missile cruisers Lake Champlain (CG-57) and Hue City also hosted film crews. John F. Kennedy assumed sole responsibility for carrier operations supporting Operation Enduring Freedom on 17 April 2002 when Rear Admiral Tomaszeski became CTF-50, marking the transition from multi-carrier battle group operations to single. After a port visit to Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates (14-17 May 2002), John F. Kennedy returned to active operations. On 5 June 2002, F-14 Tomcats Navy-wide were grounded due to complications with the nose landing gear, an order that bore directly upon John F. Kennedy Operation Enduring Freedom requirements. While VF-11 and VF-143 began repairs of its F-14s in earnest, VFA-131 and VFA-136, both equipped with newer F/A-18 Hornets, flew additional sorties to maintain the carrier’s air requirement for Enduring Freedom. John F. Kennedy’s air department, meanwhile, in a job estimated to take up to two weeks to accomplish, tackled the task and completed inspections and repairs on all the F-14s in just five days. On 14 June, the Tomcats were back in the fight. On 16 June 2002, off the coast of Oman, elements of John F. Kennedy Battle Group transitioned from warriors to good Samaritans. Guided missile cruiser Vicksburg, guided to the scene by an S-3B from VS-31 sent off from the carrier, launched an SH-60B from HSL-42, Detachment 7, to assist Stolt Spray, a tanker in the vicinity that had stood by to assist the foundering motor vessel al Murthada. When monsoon conditions rendered it impossible for Stolt Spray to provide waterborne assistance, Vicksburg’s helo transferred al Murthada’s distressed mariners, who had been adrift for eight days, bereft of power, potable water, and food, to the tanker, for further transportation. John F. Kennedy conducted operations in the Northern Arabian Sea in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from 11 March to 16 July 2002, during which time CVW-7 flew a total of 2,599 day and night missions, averaging 76 sorties per day in support of Coalition Forces over Afghanistan, delivering 62,113,994 pounds of ordnance on Taliban and al Qaeda targets and supported U.S. and Coalition forces on the ground with close air support, on occasion working with Special Forces units, seting new records in bombing accuracy while employing the most lethal combination of precision weaponry ever put to sea, amassing 10,302 arrested landings along the way. John F. Kennedy was formally relieved of its duties in the Arabian Gulf (Persian Gulf) by USS George Washington (CVN-73) on 19 July 2002, spending 129 days in theatre, conducting 97 Enduring Freedom fly days. The crews of both ships transferred ordnance and CVW-7 aircrews debriefed their George Washington counterparts from CVW-17 on procedures for conducting Enduring Freedom missions. The two carriers also completed turnover, which actually began several weeks earlier via the Internet. John F. Kennedy had been the only U.S. carrier supporting Enduring Freedom from April until her relief. Returning home, John F. Kennedy began her journey home, steaming to the Strait of Bab El Mandeb, making her 12th Suez Canal transit on 24 July 2002 in to the Mediterranean Sea operating with the 6th Fleet, underway in the Mediterranean Sea on 25 July 2002, making a port call at Marmaris, Turkey from 26 to 29 July 2002 and pulled in to Tarragona, Spain for a short port visit on 3 August 2002, passing through the Strait of Gibraltar, and entered the Eastern Atlantic on 8 August 2002. The embarked squadrons of CVW-7 flew off John F. Kennedy on 14 August 2002, arriving at Norfolk, Va on 15 August 2002, ccommencing a Tiger Cruise from Norfolk, Virginia, to Mayport Naval Station, Florida on 16 August 2002, safely navigating 160 days at sea covering 69,050 miles of water and completed more than 9,100 aircraft traps, visiting Souda Bay, Greece; Jebel Ali, V.A.E.; Bahrain Tarragona, Spain and Marmaris, Turkey; her 22nd deployment she was commissioned

Rickusn

You wrote

Release Date: 7/19/2002 12:03:00 PM

Also being relieved of the watch in the Arabian Sea are: Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW 7) from Oceana, Va.; Mayport-based USS Vicksburg (CG 69), and the Norfolk-based fast combat support ship USS Seattle (AOE 3).

The remaining ships of the Kennedy Battle Group, all Mayport-based, remain deployed overseas. They include: USS Hue City (CG 66), USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) , USS Carney (DDG 64), USS Roosevelt (DDG 80), USS Spruance (DD 963), USS Underwood (FFG 36), and USS Taylor (FFG 50).

Two attack submarines are also members of the Kennedy Battle Group: USS Toledo (SSN 769), home ported in Groton, Conn., and the Norfolk-based USS Boise (SSN 764).

Kennedy deployed in early February and has been the only U.S. carrier supporting Operation Enduring Freedom since April.

I have

“USS John F. Kennedy (CVA-67) battle group is composed of Carrier Air Wing 7; Carrier Group 6; Destroyer Squadron 24, consisting of the guided missile cruisers USS Hue City (CG 66); USS Vicksburg (CG 69); guided missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80); destroyer USS Spruance (DD 963); guided missile frigates USS Taylor (FFG 50) and USS Underwood (FFG 36) and attack submarines USS Boise (SSN 764) and USS Toledo (SSN 769); and replenishment ship USS Seattle (AOE 3). Amphibious Squadron 8 was assigned in 2002” (Ref. 84A & 681K).

I'm prepared to make changes to my reports based on your data.

Resources:

Home

Operation Enduring Freedom - Order of Battle

It's the relief ship's that are missing.

What component of the surface ASW of previous times have the SSNs repalced? I know they add a strike capacity to augment the CGNs & CVAW and there is no obvious AAW mission so did they take over part of the FIG mission?

Also, as I am sure you know, in WW II, only about a third of the CVEs were enagaged in ASW work with their DEs. About another third were used in the Fleet Train to bring forward replacement aircraft, move cargo, etc., and then another third would support landings in the SWPOA.

BRAVO ZULU, BTW.

Philly Navy yard. Mid to late 1980's an entire battle group plus at anchor.
Note the Iowas at anchor on the outter slips by drydocks just prior to reactivation.
Three carriers including a smaller carrier (Outter slips )
and the basin is loaded with others as well as WWII heavy cruiser Des Moines.