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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Seamaster

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDia5WJB4Eg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_Sea_Dart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1iJV4qgW9s

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_Tradewind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orwBocoUlOE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saro_Princess

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhFzket3SM4


Now, these are wiki articles and film clips about high-performance seaplanes produced but not procured during early 1950's. By their coolness factor they're certainly a case of technology seeking suitable timeline.


1. Attack from the Sea

What could be made to ensure that Seaborne Striking Force would turn into reality instead of a dead end and for what purposes it could be used?

First, in "Attack from the Sea" one of the key points of the author is that Seaborne Striking Force was partially sacrificed to get more carriers for the US Navy. The understandable USN fixation about carriers is also in the way of cooler than OTL surface ships etc. So we have to kill some carriers.

The opportunity might come out of the severe fights between US armed services during late 1940's which were historically settled in so-called Key West Agreement

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_West_Agreement

http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/p4013coll11&CISOPTR=729

What we need is some kind of unholy alliance between US Army and USAF to kill some functions of USN air arm. This could be achieved via USAF making a compromise with US Army to allow it to have tactical transports and CAS aircraft. A result might be an effective tonnage limitation for future aircraft carriers and a limitation for naval aircraft range. Thus, there would be no possibility of effective follow-up of AJ-1 Savage (in OTL A3D Skywarrior followed by A3J Vigilante). There would be more incentive for more intensive cruise missile program and also for strategic bomber seaplanes, erm, long-range minelayers.

Thus there's real commitment for SSF and the dispersed seabasing structure it entails.


2. Sky Marines

For a seaplane wank it's not enough to have a few P6M Seamasters flying around. There has to be a way to find use for R3Y Tradewind and Saunders-Roe Princess. This might be found in combining the effects of Seaborne Striking Force and Eisenhower's New Look. An USN cut out of large aircraft carriers would be far more radical in it's pursuit of a mission.

An intervention force for brushfire wars as well as a force ready to fight in
the atomic battlefield of the future could result. USMC was deeply aware that days of Tarawa and Inchon were of the past. Historical USMC-USN solution was the introduction of LPH's. In seaplane wank there has to be more need for speed, and this is where the seaplanes come into scene. Large seaplanes can be used to shuttle in the troops to advance seabases from zone of interior. From the advance seabases the troops can be carried or air assaulted (via parachute) to the focal point. All this without complicities of acquiring foreign basing rights or having to wait for AK's to carry troops. The advance seabases could make full use of infrastructure developed for Seaborne Striking Force.


3. Seabasing

An elaborate, completely mobile seabasing scheme was historically developed for Seaborne Striking Force. The most austere basing structure could be delivered via air to the point of interest, while more complicated support was to be delivered via submarine tankers, modified LPD's and LST's etc. F2Y Sea Dart was the interceptor which was scheduled to defend seabases from air attack.

The next step is to make some kind of scenario about how the seaplanes will be procured and used during 1950's. An USN commitment towards seaplanes will be also watched via great interest in USSR, Great Britain and France.
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