Falklands and CVA-01
>However had CVA01 not been cancelled the whole affair would probably not
>have happened, the ability to send a task force (also remembering the
>damge Nott's cuts did) who have made the Junta think twice. Which brings
>us back to the theme of the thread.
(Sorry to do this to everyone who rightly wants to see this thread RIP, but this is interesting.)
WEBF - Are you saying that Galtieri et al would've been deterred by CVA-01 simply existing? Or that CVA-01 + large number of Bristol Class escorts would've made it much easier to retake the islands? If so, how much easier?
It's certainly possible that CTOL naval air power would've kept the task force entirely free of enemy air attack; Gannet AEW would have been very good but presumably would have required it's own CAP when well forward on picket duty. And as there was no CVA-02, there would have been one deck (albeit a large one) in the South Atlantic, and arguably Woodward's concerns about bringing the carrier inshore would presumably have been greater. (All of this presuming that our one carrier would have helpfully have been in commission and ready to sail at a moment's notice.) In other words, whilst the AEW would certainly have been a massive bonus, I'm sceptical that iit would have meant no losses to the task force, and as a result, the troops on the ground may have had more helicopters. Hence, I'm not sure that a single CVA-01 would have been the sword of Damocles you imply.
Secondly, what would the early 1980s airwing of CVA-01 have looked like? Presumably F-4Ks and Buccaneers, with Gannet AEW. It is possible of course that the longer ranged Phantoms and Buccs (vs. SHar) would have found 25 de Mayo and allowed an attack on her before the Belgrano was sunk. But once the over-water attack phase was out of the way - remember, 25 de Mayo kept well out of the way after the Belgrano sinking - would the Phantoms and the Buccaneers have been much more useful to the ground forces in CAS/BAI than the Harrier GR3s were? Hard to see; harder to see that they would have been able to close the Stanley runway, either.
Thoughts?
BTW, has anyone else seen Vol 2 of the "Official History" by Lawrence Freedman - full of interesting stuff, including details of the RAF operations out of Chile.... fascinating, but I suppose it was all a long time ago now.
S41