North Sea location of Tug Nikolay Chiker from AIS, 19th October, 2310 UTC

55 49 24N 3 38 28E

Map link

https://goo.gl/maps/eQExBxMNXRR2

From

https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=8613334

Yes but Yeovilton have still got a Stringbag, and the Russians will be passing withing range soon!

RN set off in hot pursuit

http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/...d/img_1027.jpg?

"as far as I'm aware there is now only one (part-time) sea going post for an officer of 1* or above"


Are you referring to the new CO of HMS Queen Elizabeth (former Ark Royal and Illustrious skipper and BRNC commandant, who is now a Commodore in real life but wearing a Captain's stripes for reasons of tradition)?

Aah, whaler pulling, takes me back to Outward Bound, except we pulled, and sailed 32ft cutters

"Two British warships are shadowing an aircraft carrier and other Russian naval ships as they pass the UK on their way to Syria. The carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and its task force are on a course to sail through the North Sea and English Channel.A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the ships would be "man-marked every step of the way" while near UK waters"


Going to be difficult to "man-mark" 8 Russian ships with two of ours tho'..............

Our MPA will keep them cov..... oh.

Tug Nikolay Chiker Oct 20, 2016 19:40 UTC

52.73717N 2.63163E

https://goo.gl/maps/XZa8YWPBvjT2

https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels...MMSI-273531629

Aren't the French chipping in? Surely if les russes are sailing down La Manche they should be as involved as we seem to be?

Maybe ignoring them would be more effective.

BBC and Sky News in the UK are currently running helo footage of the Kuznetsov in the approaches to the English Channel.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37725327

Kuznetsov Task Force now visible from Dover. Live on BBC.

The Kuznetsov seems to me to making rather a lot of smoke. Particularly as it seems to be going rather slowly. Estimate <20 knots.....


Is this crappy fuel, normal ops or a sign of the mechanical state of the engines?


MB

Smoke will have nothing to do with the "engines" (sic) as she is steam powered. Boilers make the smoke in a steamship but combustion air will be automatically controlled on such a comparatively modern vessel so Chiefy being asleep at the sprayers is hardly a likely cause.

Filthy, cheap, sulphur laden fuel will be the answer and no boiler can deal with that and not make copious smoke.

She's most unlikely to be using the gas turbines at that speed - and if she were we'd not see their plume as it would be smothered by all that filth from the heavy fuel oil.

Not exactly stealth, is it?

Deception plan....

I did notice that the smoke seemed to be travelling about twice as quickly!

Good thing that the wind is blowing them through the Channel, it would be embarrassing if she was blown to a stop in the Channel by a South Westerly wind.

Just wondering why:

1. The Russians only have 1 carrier

2. They have never really gone for the carrier as a means of power projection - even at the height of the cold war they were not using them

3. Why the Russian Navy (generally not just carriers) are not really seen around the world - unlike their US counterparts.................


Thoughts anyone ??

Arc

Do they know today is a sacred day in British naval history?

The Immortal memory.

On the assumption it's a genuine question - and not a wah.....

1. Because that's the only one that had been completed when the USSR/CIS imploded 20-odd years ago. They hung on to it primarily for prestige and because, being non-nuclear, it was cheaper to keep "alive" than their submarines and large missile cruisers.
2. Primarily because when your land mass spans a good proportion of the globes circumference, most of the power projection you want to do can be achieved via land. A secondary reason was always that all they had to do was deny the free use of the sea to the US/NATO, much of which could be achieved by submarines (or threat thereof)
3. Because until relatively recently, they had no money to maintain ships, pay sailors, buy fuel. At all.

Arclite01,

The answer is very simple. Air carriers are the means of an aggressor (or, more mild, of an offensive side) generally speaking. I.e., you move the air force closer to the theater, which is relatively far from your borders.

USSR doctrine was always based on the defence concept (believe it or not, it's up to you). Especially overseas operations were never planned. Only in the late years of the USSR some old but still hot (or semi-mad) heads in the lead of the communist party had gone crazy on the idea of copying everything that the US had. In space, a vivid example was Buran (similar to Space Shuttle). Billions were invested, only one (though a very successfull) flight performed, and then - "dismissed".


Also, right words were said about prestige, etc. In reality, only subs really matter for Russia and they are in a good shape.