Cold Warriors: The Essex Class in the Cold War

[SSgtC]

October 30, 1957
Moscow, Russian SFSR

President Sukarno meets with Soviet Premier Nikolai Bulganin in an official state visit. The two men spend the day discussing "matters of mutual interest." In reality, a preliminary agreement is reached to provide Indonesia with up to thirty-six MiG-19PM fighters and twenty-four TU-16 bombers. President Sukarno also expresses interest in acquiring Komet anti-ship missiles.

Beyond the weapons sales, Indonesia and the USSR begin to discus allowing Soviet forces to train in Indonesia in jungle and tropical warfare. A series of port visits by Red Fleet ships are also floated along with plans to have Soviet Air Force strategic bombers rotate through the country as a refueling waypoint while on their patrols. President Sukarno also agrees to allow Soviet military aircraft to use Indonesian airfields as emergency diversion fields in the event of an inflight emergency.

 

[SSgtC]

November 1, 1957
Over Ambon, Indonesia

Allen Pope pulled his Havoc out of its shallow dive. He had just dropped his bomb load on Liang Airfield and strafed the flight line. He was flying just above the tops of the trees and as ground based anti-aircraft fire sought him out. Ground fire was more intense today than it had been on his previous runs. For the last week, the CIA had been having him strike targets on Ambon to soften it up for the Permesta rebels to land on the island and seize it.

He had just turned for home when tracers snapped past his cockpit and he felt his aircraft shudder as the right wing was hit. Turning as had as he could to the left, he spared half a second to look at his instrument panel and make sure his engines were still running. They were. Calling his radio operator over the intercom, Allen asked if he was alright and if the man could see any damage. The answer he got back was yes to the first question and no to the second. Twisting his head around like it was mounted on a swivel, Allen tried desperately to see who was engaging him.

Skidding his light attack craft back and forth to try and spoil the aim of whoever was shooting him, Allen felt his blood run cold in his veins. There was a MiG curving around behind him. In a desperate bid to escape, Allen pulled every trick in or out of the book that he could think of. But he was flying a World War Two cast-off. And that was a brand new MiG on his six, matching each and every move he made. Firewalling his engines, he put the Havoc into a climb. Short of a miracle, he and his radio operator would need to altitude to bail out safely.

As he passed through five thousand feet, the control column was ripped violently out of his hands and 23mm cannon shells ripped into his elevators. Ordering his radio operator to bail out, Allen struggled out of the cockpit, made it to the door and jumped into the sky over Ambon just seconds behind his radioman. It was just in time too. Not three seconds after jumping from his doomed bomber, the A-20 Havoc, a veteran of many battles in the war, exploded.

Looking down as he swung from his parachute, Allen could already see Indonesian ground troops assembling to capture him. Sighing heavily, the former Air Force Officer consigned himself to his fate. Crashing to the ground, he was surrounded by soldiers before he could even get out of his risers. Lifting his hands in the air, he surrendered to the Indonesian Army.

Above him, Shang wei Zhao had just scored his tenth kill.

 

[Icefox]

The only problem with this series I have is that I want longer updates and I want more dates other than that you're an excellent storyteller I can't wait for next update obviously

 

[SSgtC]

The only problem with this series I have is that I want longer updates and I want more dates other than that you're an excellent storyteller I can't wait for next update obviously

Click to shrink...

I struggled with the style I wanted to write this in, but ultimately decided to post it as a series of shorter updates. Otherwise I would need excessively long chapters to cover each main event.

 

[SSgtC]

November 2, 1957
Over Sulawesi, Indonesia

The flight of four Beagle light bombers made their bombing run in a perfect attack formation. This was the combat debut of the bomber in Indonesian service. Each bomber had four 250kg bombs in their bomb bays. This was far less than their maximum payload of 6,000 kilograms, but it did give them their maximum range. And the four bombers should be more than up to the task at hand.

Ahead, their target was visible rising up out of the forest. The transmitter tower of the CIA funded radio station was just ahead. With their bomb bay doors open, the four aircraft streaked in at 2,000 meters. Making a formation drop, the sixteen bombs fell onto the target. Of the sixteen bombs, fourteen fell into the jungle surrounding the radio station. Two of them however, slammed into the structure and detonated. The radio station that had been broadcasting anti-Sukarno propaganda ceased to exist.

On board the four bombers, the crews were jubilant. They had just completed their first mission. Even more remarkable, every member of the flight crews but one was Indonesian. There would be celebrations in the barracks tonight.

 

[SSgtC]

November 2, 1957
Over Sumatra, Indonesia

The flight of four Beagle light bombers made their bombing run in a perfect attack formation. This was the combat debut of the bomber in Indonesian service. Each bomber had four 250kg bombs in their bomb bays. This was far less than their maximum payload of 6,000 kilograms, but it did give them their maximum range. And the four bombers should be more than up to the task at hand.

Ahead, their target was visible rising up out of the forest. The transmitter tower of the CIA funded radio station was just ahead. With their bomb bay doors open, the four aircraft streaked in at 2,000 meters. Making a formation drop, the sixteen bombs fell onto the target. Of the sixteen bombs, thirteen fell into the jungle surrounding the radio station. Three of them however, slammed into the structure and detonated. The radio station that had been broadcasting anti-Sukarno propaganda ceased to exist.

On board the four bombers, the crews were jubilant. They had just completed their first mission. Even more remarkable, every member of the flight crews but one was Indonesian. There would be celebrations in the barracks tonight.

 

[Icefox]

Uhh I think you double posted there boss

 

[SSgtC]

Uhh I think you double posted there boss

Click to shrink...

No, I just forgot to edit the location. They're nearly identical strikes on the two CIA radio stations. One on Sulawesi the other on Sumatra

 

[Icefox]

Ohhh ok

 

[SSgtC]

November 2, 1957
Iswahyudi Air Base, Jakarta, Indonesia

The Military Policemen had just broken up a fight at the barracks. Strangely, the fight was only between the members of a single squadron. Most such barracks brawls were between different squadrons. To have one within a squadron was quite strange. When questioned as to the cause of the fight, the men nearly came to blows again. It seems that two different groups within the squadron both claimed to have conducted the first combat mission of their new aircraft type.

The senior Military Policeman present sighed heavily. "Flyboys," he thought. Fine, if they wanted to all be hotheads tonight, he had cells aplenty to cool them down in. Their squadron commander would have to be sent a full report on this incident of course, and he was sure to be far from pleased. He did not envy these men his wrath for spoiling such a momentous occasion. He would leave it up to the higher authorities to determine who had actually flown the first mission. That was well above his paygrade anyway. But restoring peace and order to the air base? That he could do.

 

[SSgtC]

November 3, 1957
Jakarta, Indonesia

Ambassador John Allison was dealing with a firestorm entirely of the CIA's making. They sent one of their mercenary pilots on a bombing mission over Ambon and the man had been shot down. Now, the Government of President Sukarno was trumpeting to the world what the United States was doing in Indonesia. He had warned the State Department that this was going to happen if the CIA went ahead with their plan. But the President had given the operation a green light anyway. Though from he was hearing from Secretary Dulles that President Eisenhower had ordered the CIA not to directly engage in combat operations. Well, they had royally screwed that one up.

The capture of Allen Pope was cast iron proof that the United States was trying to overthrow the legitimate government of Indonesia. If Indonesia was moving closer to the Soviet Union before, this was almost guaranteed to throw them bodily into the arms of the Soviets. Just last week he had recommended to Washington that the United States offer to directly mediate the dispute between Indonesia and the Netherlands to try and keep the Indonesians from out and out joining the USSR. That was out of the question now. He had tried to meet with President Sukarno when the news broke of Pope's capture. Merdeka Palace had refused to even take his calls. If he was any judge of diplomacy, he would say that he was on the verge of being declared persona non grata and the American Embassy closed.

John was hoping for a miracle at this point to try and salvage something out of the United States' relationship with Indonesia. But miracles were few and far between. For the first time since taking up his post earlier in the year, he was honestly afraid of what the future held for the region. Indonesia was rapidly modernizing their military and would soon outclass their regional rivals the Philippines, Japan, New Zealand and even Australia. He prayed that cooler heads would prevail, but began to draft a recommendation that the United States increase military aid to the region to speed the modernization of her allies' military forces.

 

[SSgtC]

November 3, 1957
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

Sir Phillip McBride, the Minister for Defense, was receiving a briefing from several of his subordinates in his Ministry. Indonesia's actions over the last few days had rung quite a few alarm bells in the Air Force and Navy. The Navy had just begun receiving de Haviland Sea Venom fighters last year and they were already woefully outclassed by Indonesia's MiG-17s. The MiG was over one hundred miles an hour faster at sea level and one hundred and fifty miles an hour faster at altitude. This was a major problem the Navy and one not easily rectified. There were higher performance naval aircraft available in the form of the de Haviland Sea Vixen from the United Kingdom which would equal the performance of the Fresco and both the Grumman F11F Tiger and Vought F8U Crusader from the United States which were both supersonic and clearly outclassed the MiG-17. But they were all significantly heavier than their existing fighters, with only the Tiger possibly being able to launch from the Melbourne. This presented a significant issue for the Fleet Air Arm, one not easily solved.

The Air Force wasn't in quite as dire straights as the Fleet Air Arm was. Their Sabres were roughly equal to the MiG-17 in performance and, in the professional opinion of Air Marshal Sir Fredrick Scherger, the pilots of the Royal Australian Air Force were vastly better trained than their Indonesian counterparts and would likely win most encounters. But it was still a worrying development as the RAAF would only be equal to a potential enemy instead in terms of equipment instead of clearly superior to them.

In the short term, the possibility of equipping the fighters with American Sidewinder or British Firestreak missiles was suggested as a means of increasing the lethality of Australia's existing fighters. In the long term, both services would need a new fighter. This was a much easier dilemma to solve for the Air Force as they could base fighters at almost every air base in the country. While a new fighter for the Fleet Air Arm would likely also mean buying a new aircraft carrier, despite Melbourne having only entered service two years earlier. Further meetings would need to be held to map out a course for the next several years.

At the end of the meeting, Air Marshal Scherger made the worrying comment that not only would Australia need to investigate new fighters, but their force of Canberra bombers would also be extraordinarily vulnerable in the face of Indonesia's new fighter force. This comment froze several people in their tracks as they were heading to the doors. No one had considered that Australia's primary means of force projection might not be able to successfully conduct their mission. It was a worrying thought to end the meeting on.

 

[SSgtC]

November 6, 1957
Sulawesi, Indonesia

Loyal units of the Indonesian Army launch an attack on the Permesta rebels with heavy support provided by the Indonesian Air Force flying B-25 Mitchel and Ilyushin Il-28 bombers, P-51 Mustang and MiG-17 fighters. In a coordinated assault, the Army rolls over the main Permesta base, scattering the rebels into the jungle.

In the sky above Sulawesi, the first Indonesian pilots to take the Shenyang F-5 into battle engage the CIA supplied rebel P-47s and A-20s. It is a slaughter as the WWII veteran airframes are bounced by the far superior Chinese supplied aircraft. In one notable example, Captain Saleh Basarah shot down three P-47s and one A-20 on a single mission. He was the first Indonesian pilot to convert to jet aircraft and the first to qualify on the F-5. He also became the first Indonesian Air Force Officer to score an air-to-air kill. Though Indonesia was still in the process of standing up their F-5 force, the decision had been made to commit those pilots and aircraft deemed ready for operations by their training officers as a display of strength and resolve.

 

[SSgtC]

November 7th, 1957
Sumatra, Indonesia

In a repeat of the events on Sulawesi the day before, the Indonesian armed forces launched an attack on rebel forces on Sumatra. Unlike the previous day, the rebels are prepared and waiting the Army. Though ultimately futile, they make the loyal units pay a high price in blood for their victory.

The surviving officers and men of the rebels, having run out of ammunition, surrender to the Army in the late evening. Though the Permesta rebellion was far from over, organized resistance to the rule of President Sukarno on Sumatra and Sulawesi had ceased.

 

[SSgtC]

November 10, 1957
Jakarta, Java, Indonesia

CIA Officer Allen Pope is put on trial for the murder of nearly a dozen civilians and military personnel in a military court. The four officer panel hears evidence from both sides before passing their verdict. In a display of showmanship and astute diplomatic sense, Indonesia provided Allen Pope with one of the best defense lawyers in Indonesia, Adnan Buyung Nasution. In daylong arguments, Mr Nasution argues that his client had never attacked any civilian target and thus, the charges against him regarding the civilian deaths should be dropped. The prosecution, having entered Mr Pope's flight log into evidence, pointed to the target list maintained by Mr Pope and argued that those deaths should remain.

By the end of the day, all the charges against Allen Pope were found to be true and he was found guilty of murder. Before passing sentence on Mr Pope, the military court offered him the chance to plead for mercy. Mister Pope declined, instead maintaining that he was innocent of the charges. The words of the Presiding Officer of the Court echoed through the court after Pope's refusal:

"Allen Pope, this court finds you guilty of murder. You are hereby sentenced to death and remanded to Cipinang Penitentiary until such time as your sentence may be carried out."

 

[SSgtC]

November 15, 1957
Washington, DC, USA

Following Congressional authorization in 1954, the contract for USS Enterprise CVA(N)-65 is finally awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. At the same time, following the loss of Independence, a second contract is awarded to Newport News for USS America CVA(N)-66, the second of the planned six Enterprise class carriers. Originally programed to be laid down in 1961 following the launch of Enterprise, America's contract was modified for the ship to be laid down in late 1958 instead.

America is to be laid down nearly one year after Enterprise. The Navy had argued to have both ships laid down within a few months of each other, but Congress insisted on the delay between the ships as laying them both down nearly simultaneously would necessitate one ship being built by Newport News and the other being built by either the New York or Philadelphia Naval Shipyards, almost entirely negating the projected cost savings of the two carrier buy. By delaying the construction of America, Newport News will be able to prepare a second building slip for CVA(N)-66. Unlike her older sister that will be constructed on a traditional inclined shipway, America will be built in dry dock and floated out instead of launched.

Following the contract awards, long lead-time items were ordered for the two ships. In particular, the sixteen reactors that were needed for both ships were ordered into production. Westinghouse begins fabrication of the A2W reactors immediately.

 

[SSgtC]

December 15, 1957
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

Following a month of informal discussions within the Defense Ministry and exploratory discussions with the military attaches of the United States, France and the United Kingdom two formal Requests for Proposals are issued by the Royal Australian Air Force. The first proposal is for a new general purpose fighter to replace their existing CAC Sabres. The minimum requirements are Mach 2 speed, infrared and/or radar guided missiles and a combat radius of at least three hundred nautical miles on internal fuel, with the ability to extend their range to at least five hundred nautical miles with drop tanks and/or midair refueling.

The second proposal issued is for a long range bomber to supplement and eventually replace the existing Canberra force. The proposal contained the requirement that any aircraft offered be capable of Mach 1 at low level and Mach 2 at high altitude, have an unrefueled combat radius of two thousand miles, be capable of carrying a bomb load of at least ten thousand pounds and be able to operate from existing air bases.

To be considered, all proposals must be tendered by February 1, 1958.

 

[SSgtC]

January 5, 1958
Washington, DC, USA

Vice Admiral W. V. Davis Jr, the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Air, arrives at the Argentine Embassy on New Hampshire Ave for a ten AM meeting with the Argentine Ambassador and Naval Attaché. When scheduling the meeting with the DNO(Air)'s office, the Ambassador stated that Argentina was considering the purchase of an aircraft carrier and wished to inquire about the possibility of acquiring either an Essex or Independence class carrier from surplus US Navy stocks. With that in mind, Vice Admiral Davis came prepared with information on possibly transferring USS Leyte to Argentina, providing Argentina was willing to pay to upgrade Leyte to the same standard as Oriskany and that Congressional approval could be obtained. In that regard, he assured the Ambassador of Admiral Burke's support for the transfer of an aircraft carrier.

It is a long meeting and Admiral Davis spends most of the day with the Ambassador discussing the pros and cons of operating a full sized fleet carrier verses the light carriers they were considering from the British Colossus and American Independence classes. As the meeting drew to a close, the Ambassador promised to forward the information to his Government for consideration. In a shrewd move by Admiral Davis, he offered to have USS Intrepid call at Buenos Aires in the summer during her Summer Midshipmen cruise to allow the Argentine Navy and Government to see first hand what they could acquire.

 

[SSgtC]

February 1, 1958
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

The process of winnowing the wheat from the chaff begins at the ministry of defense. Multiple aircraft are submitted for each specification issued. To meet the fighter specification, the United Kingdom offered the English Electric Lightning while Hawker submitted their proposed P.1121 design and Saunders-Roe their SR.177 both of which had been suspended as a result of the Defense White Paper. France offered a modified Dassault Mirage III that could be fitted with a Rolls Royce Avon engine. From Sweden, Saab offered their Draken. While from the United States, a virtual avalanche of designs were offered. From Republic Aviation, the F-105 Thunderchief was offered. From Lockheed came a proposal for their F-104 Starfighter. Vought offered three different versions of their Crusader while McDonnell Aircraft submitted their in development F4H Phantom II. Convair submitted a proposal to supply the RAAF with their F-106 Delta Dart pending government approval to export the design. The final design offered was from Grumman for their proposed Super Tiger. The work of narrowing down the options promised to be long and tiring.

Much as the fighter specification had, the bomber specification also resulted in a plethora of designs being submitted. North American offered their A3J Vigilante while McDonnell and Vought both offered modified versions of their Phantom and Crusader fighter entrants. Boeing and General Dynamics each submitted a design that was little more than speculation and doodling. Boeing concurrently offered an updated version of their B-47 subsonic bomber. Republic submitted their F-105 in a bid to fill both the fighter and bomber specification. While Convair, again subject to government approval, offered the B-58 Hustler.

The United Kingdom submitted a rough proposal from BAC for a high speed penetrator that would meet the offered specification. They also proposed supplying the Avro Vulcan, which met all the Australian requirements with the exception of speed. The final submission offered was from France who proposed supplying their Dassault Mirage IV. The Royal Australian Air Force would have their hands full for many months trying to narrow down their options.

 

[SSgtC]

List of Offered Aircraft

Fighter Specification

United Kingdom

English Electric Lightning
Hawker P.1121
Saunders-Roe SR.177

France

Dassault Mirage IIIO

Sweden

Saab 35 Draken

United States

Republic F-105 Thunderchief
F-104 Starfighter
Vought F8U-1
Vought F8U-2
Vought F8U-3
McDonnell F4H-1 Phantom II
Convair F-106 Delta Dart
Grumman F11F-2

Bomber Specification

United Kingdom

TSR-2
Avro Vulcan

France

Dassault Mirage IV

United States

Republic F-105 Thunderchief
Convair B-58 Hustler
North American A3J Vigilante
Boeing Unnamed tactical bomber proposal (OTL F-111 proposal)
General Dynamics Unnamed tactical bomber proposal (OTL F-111 Aardvark)
Boeing B-47 Stratojet
McDonnell F4H-1 Phantom II
Vought F8U-3

 

[SSgtC]

February 4, 1958
Newport News, VA

The keel of the future USS Enterprise is laid at Newport News Shipbuilding in Shipway 11. The first nuclear powered aircraft carrier in the world, she is projected to complete in late 1960 at a cost of approximately three hundred million dollars. While work commences on Enterprise, the workmen of Newport News begin preparing to lay down her sister in a little less than a year. In a first for Newport News Shipbuilding, America will be built in a graving dock and floated out upon completion instead of being built on a traditional inclined shipway.

 

[SSgtC]

March 18, 1958
Den Helder, North Holland, Netherlands

HNLMS Karel Doorman recommissions into the Dutch Navy after a three year modernization to give her an angled flight deck, enlarged elevators, steam catapults and new, stronger arresting gear. The upgrades considerably enhance her combat capabilities and enable her to safely operate the latest jet fighters from her deck.

Following sea trials, deck qualification trials, refresher training and another short yard period to fix anything that breaks during trials, Doorman would be making a good will visit to the United States. That voyage was currently scheduled for early 1959, however planning for it had already begun. The rotation of destroyers to West New Guinea would need to be adjusted to give the Doorman a proper force of escorts for her crossing of the North Atlantic. Some had argued that she should instead be deployed to the Far East as a demonstration of Dutch resolve in the region, but Vice Admiral Ardi van Es had shot that idea down quickly. Doorman's air group was not up to that type of operation yet. They would need intensive exercises first to redevelop unit cohesion and learn to operate safely from their heavily modified carrier.

 

[SSgtC]

March 23, 1958
Port of Tanjung Perak, East Java, Indonesia

The Soviet Kotlin class destroyer Svetlyy arrives in Indonesia for the first port visit of a Soviet warship to the country. Having only commissioned into the Soviet Pacific Fleet two and a half years earlier, she is one of the newest operational destroyers in the Soviet Navy. This event raises red flags among numerous Pacific nations allied with the United States or the other Western powers. Not only is it a sign of much closer relations between the Indonesia and the USSR, it is also seen as a case of the Soviet Union showcasing their hardware for potential sale to Indonesia.

In numerous countries with interests in the region, furious phone calls are made to their respective intelligence and diplomatic services demanding and updated assessment of the Soviet/Indonesian relationship.

 

[Tiny_Dic]

Oooh boy, here we go. We've already had Indonesian combat jets perform airstrikes on the Permesta rebels, this will only escalate from here.

 

[SSgtC]

April 15, 1958
Brooklyn, NY, USA

USS Leyte is decommissioned. After her return to Quonset Point Naval Air Station following her Caribbean and Mediterranean cruise she had commenced pre-inactivation preparations. This had mainly involved the offloading of tons of stores, supplies, spare parts and everything else that made her a functional warship. As the mountains of gear had piled up on the dock, trucks had arrived to carry it all away to warehouses and supply depots. While some of the gear would inevitably be placed in a warehouse and forgotten about, the vast majority of the equipment would reenter the Navy supply system and end up on other ships to see further service.

Following the offloading of supplies in Rhode Island, the larger portion of her crew were given orders detaching them from their ship and sending them on to new duty stations where they would join new ships or training commands to pass on their hard won knowledge. The remaining crew hauled in the lines that were securing the old straight decked carrier to the pier and sailed south for Brooklyn.

On her arrival at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, her remaining crew were detached from the ship and sent on their way to their new commands. The last two crew members of Leyte were her Captain and her Chief Yeoman. The Yeoman cut the Captain's orders to join the staff of Carrier Division 18. The final orders he cut were his. For Leyte, the end was nigh.

She did not remain empty for long. As her Commissioning Pennant was hauled down, the workmen from the Brooklyn Navy Yard began to swarm over the old carrier. Her fuel bunkers were drained, her avgas storage tanks were emptied and purged to eliminate dangerous vapors. Her engineering spaces were thoroughly cleaned and dried, with large dehumidifiers placed in them to slow the spread of corrosion. Her fire mains were depressurized and drained, with the valves left open to allow them to dry completely. Damage control equipment including fire hoses, lumber shoring beams and emergency electrical cables were pulled from their mounts and piled in the hanger to await removal from the ship.

On her island, her radars and radio were removed from their spaces along with all the cryptographic gear. Her antennas and radar dishes were removed and placed into large warehouses in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Other workmen went through the ship and made sure every hatch was open and set up large fans and dehumidifiers to dry the air and circulate it throughout the ship to keep things dry and prevent corrosion. The final work was to thoroughly seal the ship from the outside. All her exterior openings save one were dogged shut with large sheets of plastic glued over them after to prevent any moisture from entering the ship. On the bridge, the glass was covered to keep the sun and rain out.

Once all the work was complete, ex-Leyte was towed from the Navy Yard and anchored with the other ships of the Hudson River Reserve Fleet. There, she joined her sister, ex-Franklin just off Bayonne, New Jersey to await their fates.