[FT, GZG, OU] OU fleet and nation was Re: [fh ot] Re: [GZG][FH]

At 11:37 06/12/98 +1000, you wrote:
>Tony Wilkinson wrote:
>
>>	   To be honest I think that we will go it alone and try and
stay
out of any
>> major conflict and avoid taking sides (unless it involves the IC). I
don't
>> know why but I have this recollection of a Confederate commerce
raider and
>> a Federal warship both being in AUS (Melbourne I think) at the same
time
>> during the Civil War. Basically the OU will be nominally neutral,
provide
>> humanitarian aid where possible, allow anyone to visit and kill
everyone
>> who has a fight in our territory.
>
>Concur. And a much smaller fleet than might be expected, consisting of
a
>small number of almost unarmed patrol vessels, and a few major ships
>with far more firepower and technological sophistication (and cost...)
>than any ship of that size has the right to have.
>In FT-II terms, only a pair of cruisers where an opponent might have a
>BC and a pair of cruisers. But the OU ones have Wave Motion Guns, class
>III shields etc...
>Taking a look at today's Oz navy, we have old, obsolete US Destroyers,
>Charles F Adams Class. But our ones have similar electronics suites to
>US Guided Missile Cruisers, plus NULKA and other home-grown cutting
edge
>anti missile defences (which the USN are just starting to fit on their
>ships, one of several pieces of Australian-developed military hi-tech
in
>US service).

	I don't know about wave motion guns (never liked them). Class 3
screens
and improved PDS (how many times do the FSE slaughter me) might be the
go,
protecting our investment. I basically see there being 4 fleets for the
OU.
A battlefleet of top class heavy warships though few in number. All
would
be kept upto the very highest standard even though the hulls might be
quite
old. A Security fleet of crusiers and destroyers to investigate
incidents,
conduct deep patrols and backup the Patrol fleet. The patrol fleet would
have large numbers of smaller craft with very good sensors. A reserve
fleet
with a variety of older units that are not quite obsolete but not upto
latest standard, manned by reservists that can be demothballed quickly
to
reinforce the fleet in times of emergency. Small numbers of ships
compared
to similar sized nations would allow for a continual refit program
without
too much expense.
	I think the OU would emphasise firepower on its ships. Hit hard,
hit fast,
hit first and leave no survivors. The Battlefleet would represent a
considerable investment so that such ships would have heavy defences and
look like the NSL with screens.
  
>The only group that everyone in East Asia seems to hate with a passion
>are the Japanese. Which is why the poor average Japanese sarariman on a
>trip to SE Asia never seems to get served on time, or his shoes shined,
>or his laundry returned at all, and blames it on "non-Japanese
>inneficiency" rather than the real reason (which he never learnt about
>at school).

	And woudn't believe if he was most likely.

	Tony.
	twilko@ozemail.com.au

>