AHTL:Malta Strikes Back Redux

[HMS Audacious]

02/04/1982

22:00 Ministry of Defence Whitehall

CNS Admiral Henry Leach meets with Admiral Sir John fieldhouse and Adm Sandy Woodward, " Gentlemen I've just got back from a meeting with the Prime Minister she feels like I do we can and must send a task force to retake the Falklands, We have a preliminary plan in place but we have a narrow window in which to recover them".

"We have at most two to three months before winter sets in, We have three anti submarine carriers along with two commando carriers as the core of our fleet but the prime minister is concerned that the Argentines will sortie their carrier group along with their MEKO type 360H2 and their cruiser the Belgrano but we do have a stroke of luck on our part".

"We have HMS Malta finishing her post refit work up in the Caribbean with two type 22 Frigates HMS Broadsword and HMS Bloodhound along with the type 82 cruiser HMS Bristol and two Type 42 destroyers HMS Sheffield and HMS Coventry. We can send her battlegroup South to meet up with the rest of the task force".

With the preliminary plan for the Malta Battlegroup finalised and Commodore M.Clapp chosen to lead the Malta Battlegroup, Orders are made out and sent to both HMS Malta and Commodore M.Clapp.

 

[HMS Audacious]

03/04/1982 00:00 MOD Whitehall

Part of Maltas refit is the second batch of goalkeeper close in weapons system. The first two prototype of Goalkeeper is on board HMS Bristol also on HMS Bristol is the first batch of the VLS or vertical launch system housing twenty eight Sea Wolf Missiles. Part of Maltas Airgroup is Twenty sepacat Sea Jaguar GR1 in the tactical strike role, Twenty-two F4K Phantom 2 in the Fleet defence/ interceptor role and six E2B Sparrowhawk built under licence using British avionics and British turboprop engines from Rolls Royce. Rounding out the fixed wing aircraft is Eight Fairey Gannet ASW mk4B powered by two Armstrong Siddley double Mamba turboprop engines with contra rotating propellers.


03/04/1982 Carribean Sea off the coast of Jamaica

After one of the fastest replenishing in Royal Navy history coming under six hours is complete. Part of the replenishment HMS Malta loads onboard fifty-eight Paveway III laser guided bombs, one hundred and fifty six aim 9L heat seeking Sidewinders, One hundred thirty Sky Flash MK2 radar guided Missiles and ninety thousand 30mm cannon shells for the Goalkeeper close in weapons system. The replenishment for the rest of the battlegroup takes an hour more as HMS Bristol and HMS Battleaxe, Bloodhound both take on fuel,4.7mm shells for there guns along with thirty-eight thousand 30mm cannon shells for Goalkeeper and twenty-four Harpoon anti ship Missiles for their launchers.

 

[HMS Audacious]

03/04/1982 Jamaican Territorial Waters 0330


With the HMS Malta Battlegroup steaming out of Jamaican waters a E2B Sparrowhawk airborne early warning aircraft is at thirty-three thousand feet over the Fleet. A single Gannet ASW mk4B is airborne reports that no soviet submarines are in the area but Commodore M.Clapp who was onboard HMS Victorious to hand her over to the RCN takes his flag down and transfers his staff and flag to HMS Malta. HMS Victorious and one Type 22 Frigate along with two type 42 Destroyers sail north to Halifax Nova Scotia. With his staff and flag now onboard HMS Malta Commodore Michael Clapp sends a message to the rest of the battlegroup by blinker light.


**** From Commodore M.Clapp *****

**** meeting onboard flagship*****

**** 0800 captains and executive officers****


0415 Carribean Sea


Unknown to the HMS Malta Battlegroup a soviet Victor 3 submarine is at periscope depth and 2 miles away from HMS Malta. The Battlegroup increases speed to 28 knots as they head into the Carribean Sea proper. Onboard the Victor class boat the captain sends off a message to Red banner Northern Fleet headquarters at the Kola peninsula.


**** URGENT****

**** Royal Navy battlegroup ****

**** One cv ****

**** Two Frigates ****

**** Two DD ****


***** From the konovalov *****

 

[HMS Audacious]

0800 03/04/1982 Caribbean Sea

With HMS Malta Battlegroup steaming through the calm Caribbean Sea at a steady 28 knots along with a E2B sparrowhawk in overwatch of the Battlegroup at thirty thousand feet ,Two airborne contacts and a single surface contact is picked up. The surface contact turns out to be the Leahy class Cruiser USS Worden who is shadowing the British battlegroup signals. The two airborne contacts are identified as Soviet Tu22m bombers out of Cuba. As both bombers come within sixteen miles a pair of F4K is launched and vectored by the Sparrowhawk. When the Soviet bombers are intercepted a message is sent from the lead bomber to the lead F4K which surprises the lead interceptor.

**** Good hunting ****

Onboard HMS Malta Commodore Michael Clapp sends off a message back for the Soviet Bombers.

**** Thank you and safe travels****

With the message sent both FAA aircraft rocks their wings and breaks away back to the battlegroup.

With the USS Worden shadowing the British battlegroup signals are sent from the American cruiser to the British battlegroup.

*** No surface contacts ***
***Good hunting ***

 

[HMS Audacious]

03/04/1982 05:30 North Atlantic

Onboard the British fast attack sub HMS Swiftsure who is on a weapons test heading towards Bermuda to test the submarine launched Exocet anti-ship missile. HMS Swiftsure plowing through the North Atlantic swell at 28 knots commander J.L Weatherall receives a message from Northwood on the VLF.

**** URGENT ****

To Cdm J.L Weatherall

*** Falklands invaded ***
*** Argentine forces ***
*** Form task force 317.1 ***
*** Proceed with all possible speed***
*** Rendezvous with HMS Malta ***
*** Under command ***
*** Commodore M.Clapp***

*** Good luck and good hunting***

*** Regards CNS Adm H Leach ***

Cdm Weatherall reads the message three times. After a couple of minutes Weatherall picks up the phone and asks for the senior staff to meet him in the wardroom.

When all the senior staff are present, Weatherall explains that the Argentines have invaded the Falklands and they are now in a shooting war. The chief engineer is asked if they can push the reactor to 110 percent. The chief engineer a hard Scotsman Cdm Montgomery Scott replies " yes Captain but I wouldn't recommend it".

The exec officer who is a Qubec native lieutenant commander Martin Tremblay. Tremblay is on placement with the Royal Navy from the RCN as the first Canadian nuclear attack submarines are being built in Canada with British and Canadian equipment and a single British reactor built under licence in Canada.

 

[HMS Audacious]

4/4/1982 01:00


Onboard HMS Malta Commodore Michael Clapp and his battlegroup enters the North Atlantic proper and increases speed to back to 28 knots heading south east towards the British territory of Ascension Island. It is hoped that the battlegroup will meet up with the RFA and HMAS Perth.

RFA brambleleaf and RFA Fort Austin who were on their way to Bombay then Singapore before the Argentine invasion put in to Cape Town to top up fuel,food and weapons for the Malta Battlegroup. While in Cape Town two South African patrol boats sweep the harbour and a single Churchill class SSN that was on its way back from Calcutta to the UK after it's patrol in the Indian ocean, is replenished with food and takes onboard twenty Exocet anti ship Missiles. When the replenishment has been completed in 8 hours HMS Conqueror leaves Cape Town and dives into the warm waters heading west towards the Falkland islands at 25 knots.

Four hours after HMS Conqueror leaves RFA Brambleleaf and RFA Fort Austin leave Cape Town with the type 22 Frigate HMAS Perth in tow, Perth who was due to go to Rosyth to fit the Australians first VLS and a goalkeeper is asked by her majesty's government to escort the RFA to Ascension before she goes in for her refit.

 

[fester]

03/04/1982 00:00 MOD Whitehall

Part of Maltas refit is the second batch of goalkeeper close in weapons system. The first two prototype of Goalkeeper is on board HMS Bristol also on HMS Bristol is the first batch of the VLS or vertical launch system housing twenty eight Sea Wolf Missiles. Part of Maltas Airgroup is Twenty sepacat Sea Jaguar GR1 in the tactical strike role, Twenty-two F4K Phantom 2 in the Fleet defence/ interceptor role and eight E2B Sparrowhawk built under licence using British avionics and British turboprop engines from Rolls Royce. Rounding out the fixed wing aircraft is Eight Fairey Gannet ASW mk4B powered by two Armstrong Siddley double Mamba turboprop engines with contra rotating propellers.


03/04/1982 Carribean Sea off the coast of Jamaica

After one of the fastest replenishing in Royal Navy history coming under two hours is complete. Part of the replenishment HMS Malta loads onboard fifty-eight Paveway III laser guided bombs, one hundred and fifty six aim 9L heat seeking Sidewinders, One hundred thirty Sky Flash MK2 radar guided Missiles and ninety thousand 30mm cannon shells for the Goalkeeper close in weapons system. The replenishment for the rest of the battlegroup takes an hour more as HMS Bristol and HMS Battleaxe, Bloodhound both take on fuel,4.7mm shells for there guns along with thirty-eight thousand 30mm cannon shells for Goalkeeper and twenty-four Harpoon anti ship Missiles for their launchers.

Trying to figure out why there are 8 E-2s when the typical US CV had, depending on time period etc 4 to 6 birds in their airborne early warning squadron. Those aircraft are both big, eating up a lot of hanger and deck space, and expensive in total costs and dollar resources. Dropping it down to 4 or 5 makes a lot of sense.

 

[HMS Audacious]

Trying to figure out why there are 8 E-2s when the typical US CV had, depending on time period etc 4 to 6 birds in their airborne early warning squadron. Those aircraft are both big, eating up a lot of hanger and deck space, and expensive in total costs and dollar resources. Dropping it down to 4 or 5 makes a lot of sense.

The Fleet will need those eight E2B Sparrowhawk. Four are going to be staying on Malta and man power isn't an issue for the British.

 

[fester]

The Fleet will need those eight E2B Sparrowhawk. Four are going to be staying on Malta and man power isn't an issue for the British.

Given everything else that you're building in the universe, the tech level seems to be 5 to 10 years ahead of OTL, and the RN has a mid-50s/early 60s hull counts instead of early 80s --- so I can buy the internal logic of getting Hawkeyes but given the space constraints of a Malta class ship, I am mainly thinking that 8 is too damn much, and it detracts from the plausibility of the timeline if it is being thrown in for explicit plot fulfillment.

Secondly, still trying to think why the Argentinians would invade the Falklands in a universe where the RN has multiple fixed wing carrier battle groups and a still active global presence as evidence by the Churchill have a regular Indian Ocean patrol station.

 

[M35Mako]

Fester has made the important point: why would Argentina risk taking on what is essentially the UK as a superpower in this TL? The Britain of our 1982 was seen as a weak target, with no large carriers and wanting to sell off the small ASW carriers. Hence the Junta felt it was a winnable war.

I would love to see a bit more backstory on how Britain not only avoided the 70s economic crises but managed to maintain a global presence, and how the Argentine Junta believes it can win this war.

 

[Chernabog90]

Secondly, still trying to think why the Argentinians would invade the Falklands in a universe where the RN has multiple fixed wing carrier battle groups and a still active global presence as evidence by the Churchill have a regular Indian Ocean patrol station.

maybe the argentine government is desperate enough to try to distract the population by waging a war against a great power,

 

[HMS Audacious]

Given everything else that you're building in the universe, the tech level seems to be 5 to 10 years ahead of OTL, and the RN has a mid-50s/early 60s hull counts instead of early 80s --- so I can buy the internal logic of getting Hawkeyes but given the space constraints of a Malta class ship, I am mainly thinking that 8 is too damn much, and it detracts from the plausibility of the timeline if it is being thrown in for explicit plot fulfillment.

Secondly, still trying to think why the Argentinians would invade the Falklands in a universe where the RN has multiple fixed wing carrier battle groups and a still active global presence as evidence by the Churchill have a regular Indian Ocean patrol station.

We have two fixed wing carrier battlegroups one at sea one in dry dock and the French have the same but they have one based in the Med and the other in the middle east at Aden. The e2b are commonwealth built under licence for the RN and the MN plus commonwealth partners. The Commonwealth has strong defence ties with the French and most of it's ex colonial possessions like India and Malaysia.

Canada,Australia and India/Pakistan are tier 1 partners while country's like Malaysia,Burma,Malta and Hong Kong are tier 2 partners but all have a seat at the table.

The British found oil deposits in the North Sea and off the coast of Nigeria in the late 60s early 70s. Part of the deal we did with the Nigerians was we would pay for the infrastructure and other stuff like railway links, Hospitals and schools.

The Argentines are very desperate and with Malta working up and Gibraltar at Singapore about to go into a deep refit the timing is perfect for them. With the ASW carriers being sold at a discount rate the Victorious is going to the RCN and Indomitable finishing up her construction and eventually sale to the RAN they have time on there side plus winter is closing in. The Commonwealth has 3 months max to get down there and retake the Falklands if they don't the Argentines have time to dig in and wait out winter.

 

[M35Mako]

How come Britain is so powerful in this scenario? A partitioned, yet Commonwealth India and Pakistan means a POD in the 30's at the least, as the Hindu/Muslim split in the independence movement didn't really begin until then.

I am also assuming Argentina is much, much wealthier in this scenario. Did they transition away from an agricultural export economy before it collapsed?

 

[HMS Audacious]

How come Britain is so powerful in this scenario? A partitioned, yet Commonwealth India and Pakistan means a POD in the 30's at the least, as the Hindu/Muslim split in the independence movement didn't really begin until then.

I am also assuming Argentina is much, much wealthier in this scenario. Did they transition away from an agricultural export economy before it collapsed?

A bit more wealthy but not much much wealthy. They have moved from agricultural export to mining. They found deposits of uranium and tungsten in the late 50s for tungsten early 60s for the uranium . One of the major importers of the Tungsten is the US while Europe imports 4 to 5 percent of the uranium for civil power stations. Which gives them enough money but instead of using it on the people the Junta has made them selves richer.

 

[M35Mako]

A bit more wealthy but not much much wealthy. They have moved from agricultural export to mining. They found deposits of uranium and tungsten in the late 50s for tungsten early 60s for the uranium . One of the major importers of the Tungsten is the US while Europe imports 4 to 5 percent of the uranium for civil power stations. Which gives them enough money but instead of using it on the people the Junta has made them selves richer.

Fair enough, but I had a bit of a quick shufty online - uranium and tungsten don't seem to be a major part of Argentina's mineral wealth even today. The major one seems to be Lithium, which if I had to guess isn't going to be as high in demand in this timeline as we haven't got to smartphones and huge demand for small, efficient batteries yet.

As I said I would love to see your backstory for this world.

 

[HMS Audacious]

Fair enough, but I had a bit of a quick shufty online - uranium and tungsten don't seem to be a major part of Argentina's mineral wealth even today. The major one seems to be Lithium, which if I had to guess isn't going to be as high in demand in this timeline as we haven't got to smartphones and huge demand for small, efficient batteries yet.

As I said I would love to see your backstory for this world.

Iotl they never found the major deposits and still don't have the money or capability to dig it out. In ITTL they had help from the commonwealth and the USA to find and extract those mineral deposits. They managed to find two deep veins of Silver which they have started to dig out. With the silver deposits they have managed to buy four MEKO 360H2 class Frigates and two Type 42 destroyers and a ex RN light fleet carrier HMS Colossus from the commonwealth and two ex USN Gearing class DD for shallow water ASW work. The junta was trying to buy modern submarines from west Germany but they got told by the commonwealth and the French that wasn't happening. The Argentines went to the Swedish for submarines which the first two have been delivered in mid 1982

 

[fester]

Iotl they never found the major deposits and still don't have the money or capability to dig it out. In ITTL they had help from the commonwealth and the USA to find and extract those mineral deposits. They managed to find two deep veins of Silver which they have started to dig out. With the silver deposits they have managed to buy three type 42 destroyers and a ex RN light fleet carrier HMS Colossus from the commonwealth and two ex USN Gearing class DD for shallow water ASW work. The junta was trying to buy modern submarines from west Germany but they got told by the commonwealth and the French that wasn't happening. The Argentines went to the Swedish for submarines which the first two have been delivered in 1981

resource extraction is a very hard way to actually build wealth. Resource extraction, processing and then building systems of engineering expertise is how to build wealth.

 

[Chernabog90]

what happens to the audacious class carrier, if the malta is built in this TL, also would definitely be interesting to see the backstory of this TL, and the post world war two Britain that happen in this TL

 

[Major Major]

Let's get a look at this. She began looking like this:

But would probably end up looking like this:

Hope this helps.

 

[HMS Audacious]

Let's get a look at this. She began looking like this:
View attachment 820336

But would probably end up looking like this:
View attachment 820338

Hope this helps.

Close to this but slightly larger at close to 70k tonnes