RN Heads for Lebanon.

andy · Post by **andy** » 15 Jul 2006, 21:26

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5184018.stm :think:

thehappyotter · Post by **thehappyotter** » 15 Jul 2006, 23:21

It's getting messy out there.

I hope the government of Israel starts using it's head a little and more people don't end up dead.

That said, the Lebanese government don't do themselves many favours, sadly at the expense of innocent lives.

andy · Post by **andy** » 15 Jul 2006, 23:30

It's just a pity that these two nations were supplied with very short fuses in the first place.
If everyone stopped supplying them with weapons, they'd have to hold an international boxing match instead.

TobyV · Post by **TobyV** » 15 Jul 2006, 23:40

Just trying to make sense of the particular ships they have decided to send and the specific motivations for doing so. I'm not a ship expert but would I be right in saying the present Albion class ships (Albion and Bulwark) effectively replace the role of Fearless & Intrepid? (and that HMS Ocean replaces the role of the old Albion and Bulwark (if that makes sense?)

Illustrious presumably equipped with Harrier GR7/GR9s, if we are going to evacuate the estimated 10,000 Britons in the Lebanon, presumably they are there to provide protection rather than actually launch aircraft (presumably helicopters) to actually rescue people?

Anyone with armed forces knowledge care to speculate and help me understand what the likely strategy is here

?

andy · Post by **andy** » 15 Jul 2006, 23:50

Toby, what ever the mission, and reportedly, it hasn't yet been decided, it would need aircover, even for the defense of the ships.
It is expected to get British nationalities out of Lebanon.

After that, depends on the two Rottweillers snapping at each other.

DispatchDragon · Post by **DispatchDragon** » 16 Jul 2006, 01:10

Well lets see - the silly bloody Hezboallah chuck a fracking Silkworm at
the Israelis thats directly traceable to the Iranians - bit bloody stupid wouldnt you say - Its sort of giving the Israeli's to smack whoever they wish - and frankly if someone was lobing unaimed rockets into my back yard ad lib I think my first inclination would be to go kick someones arse -- and while your making the two rotweilers comaprison its amazing all this came about on the same day that iran was to meet its obligations about nuclear power - the only good thing in this whole awful mess is that the North Korean 'longdong' or whatever they call it - cant even seem to clear the launch tower let alone go anywhere...otherwise I think everyone would be a little nervous - Does anyone on that side of the pond wonder why the third most abundant oil nation in the world (Iran) Needs a form of power that nearly every european country has tried to ban under 'green' policies ? or are you just going to wait until the next 7/7 doesnt kill 50 but 500,000 and leaves London uninhabitable for whatever the half life of plutonium is.

Sorry Ill take my soap box, cigar and Homburg and find that taxi

Leif

Post by **DaveB** » 16 Jul 2006, 01:37

Toby..

Your understanding of the current Ocean and Bulwark/Albion is about there

Of course, Bulwark, Albion and Centaur didn't start their lives (the previous incarnations that is) being floating RM transports but for Bulwark and Albion at least, that's how they ended up.

The carrier is going, undoubtedly.. and as Steve has pointed out to provide air cover

ATB

DaveB :tab:

Paul K · Post by **Paul K** » 16 Jul 2006, 02:10

I believe the most notable difference between the Albion class ( HMS Albion, HMS Bulwark) and HMS Ocean is that the former are LPDs, with flooding docks at the back end for their embarked landing craft ( like Fearless and Intrepid ). HMS Ocean is more the helicopter carrier, with no stern dock. Her landing craft can only operate from the davits along her sides.

Thats my understanding anyway.

airboatr · Post by **airboatr** » 16 Jul 2006, 05:35

10,000 Brits
20,000 + Americans
and probably another , . say 50,000

others from different countries
(thats just a number outa the blue / off the wall
the first two amounts is in itself going to be a miracle
to get them all out...........
I will have no choice but to believe that all will be good
but it's not looking good for any of us
the whole world is about 3 or 4 A hole moves away
from complete disruption (don't forgot the grumpy
leader of a county in Aisa with the ichy trigger finger)

I wish he'd put it back in it's holster Hole

TobyV · Post by **TobyV** » 16 Jul 2006, 11:34

Steve (andy), Dave and Paul, thanks or the info. I assumed that Bulwark and Lusty would be placed there to defend whatever vessel was used to evacuate British nationals. Do you think they will send a frigate or destroyer or two to protect the carrier though?

As far as this whole thing goes, I think Israel has gone overboard here and probably wont ever actually achieve the original objective of rescuing its two captured soldiers. More likely, Hezbollah has got p*ssed off now and killed them. Some intelligence and a follow-up special forces operation on wherever the terrorists were holding their soldiers would have, IMHO been a more appropriate response. I can also understand shelling of Hezbollah rocket-launching stations, but at the moment they seem to be content killing ordinary Lebanese civilians and consequently falling down the world popularity ratings :huf: I think if it continues much longer, I can see somewhere like Syria or Iran joining in (Israel has already said it does not wish to open up a second front) and then Dubya will wade in and it will get messy.

As far as the attack on the Israeli warship goes, it was originally reported on UK news (BBC I think) as a recce UAV that had been modified with explosives rather than an Iranian supplied ASM. I think the original version might by more truthful with the more recent Silkworm suggestions being a handy piece of propaganda to implicate Iran :think: