Carrier Strike Group

i did mine 5yrs ago. good luck on your build.

The carrier strike group is made up of:

1 carrier (of course) with it's Air Wing

2 Cruisers of the Ticonderoga class

2 Destroyers of the Arleigh Burke class

Up to 2 attack subs

A combined ammunition, oiler and supply ship (AOE/AOR), usually Supply-class (T-AOE);

Here's the link from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrier_Strike_Group

Goodness180

Hello all,

I am getting ready to start a little bit of a lengthy project and build a carrier strike group.  I have been doing a considerable bit of research online about what types of ships you would find in one of these groups.  I have determined that it will be a modern day strike group with my center piece being the USS Nimitz 1/500 kit from trumpeter.  But after that the only other ship i have decided to put in it is the USS Momsen 1/350 kit from dragon.  Any thoughts on what else i should have in it?  Was thinking at least 2 other DDG class ships, dragon puts out a couple other 1/350 scale kits i had my eye on.  I also thought about putting in an attack sub but couldnt really find a good kit that i like that fit in with the other two ships i have figured out so far. 

 

Any thoughts???

It shall be the same scale right? putting them together will be awkward if the scale is different.

I urge you do all 1/700 scale. Trumpeter 1/700 USS Nimitz is very good. I highly reccoment you use that kit instead of the pathetic 1/500 which detail is lacking and full of mistake.

Plus, yr selection of destroyer and subamarine will be abundant.

Cool thanks for the input all.  Ill try and update as i go with some pics.

Hello

A different tactic is to buy Heller's Task Force 1/400 scale.  It consists of a aircraft carrier, destroyer and oiler.

Jeff

Interesting.  The only place i can find the hellers task force 1/400 is in euro's and over seas model companys, and I am in the states.  Any suggestions.

Goodness180

Interesting.  The only place i can find the hellers task force 1/400 is in euro's and over seas model companys, and I am in the states.  Any suggestions.

Squadron sells Heller,  but it is listed as out of stock

http://www.squadron.com/NoStock.asp?item=HR81092

Check with them about expected availability

Also good to remember that the closest ship is the "plane guard" 9which is only during flight ops, and is 4000 to 6000yards after of the carrier.

That's over 200" at 1:700, and that's the closest ship in the formation.  (it's 60" at 1:2400 scale)

A CBG is a big creature, there's a neat written description some where that describes a CBG as if it were centered on DC, the aircraft "umbrella" extends to the Mississippi river.  The ships would be in five different states.

Most dios have ships far too close.  Anything under 1000yds CPA had better be an UnRep (Underway Replenishment), or there's likely to be a Court of Inquiry.  Which seems extreme until you've had to do the math underway.  A mere 15 knots is 500 yards per minute--not even a small, nimble OHP does not stop in a mere 1000 yards.  I'd be very surprised if an OHP had a tactical turn of 400 yards.

Which is why surface ships keep a long way apart from each other.  That, and if your escort ship has a sensor suite with a 20-30 mile range, it's far better to have those sensors 10-15 miles away.  A carrier being a rather tall thing on the ocean, they have excellent LoS slant ranges for low-emissive communication.  You'd need a gym floor at 1:700 just to show the one CBG.  For those of us who used to wargame 1:1200 ships, we used gym floors to have "sea room" for entire fleet actions (nice benefit of bleachers to get a bird's eye every so often, too).

Does not mean you cannot have a close group of ships at 1:350, they can be 200' apart (6.8" at 1:350), if they are doing an UnRep.  Carrier can UnRep on both sides, too, if not often done.

If you were tough enough to model sailor and equipment spelling something out on the carrier deck, as 1:700 you could bring several ships to as close as 7-8" apart for a "photo op" pose.

EBAY has one listed out of Montreal, Canada.  Go to EBAY and search for "Task Force".

Wow thanks to everyone for the input.  Also i really enjoyed looking around the squadron web site.

thanks,

Here's a pic for ya.

Medicman71

Here's a pic for ya.

Here is a photo of the carriers that had been operating in the Tonkin Gulf in February, 1973; it was taken just after the ceasefire was signed.:

From left to right are the America, Enterprise and Ranger. Oriskany is bringing up the rear. I can't name the escorts in the lead. I was driving the Ranger when the picture was taken.

I would love to build this scene in some tiny scale someday but I doubt that I ever will. I'll always remember that event.

 I found another angle of that formation:

Medicman71

Here's a pic for ya.

And everyone with that lonely gold pin over their right pocket is churning stomach acid like the wake of that ship at the top left in the photo, too. 

Oh, and that lead ship?  Every one in Khaki aboard her is sweating bullets that the snipes do not have a casualty, as that carrier would run them over about the time the collision alarm would be sounded.  Probably have Condition Zulu set throughout, and all the CIC's are fully manned with people on the tactical datanet and the TBS and special lookouts set.

Note, too, they have very deliberately chosen a CAVU day on that Beaufort 0 sea, too.

Makes me wonder what the "break away" plot looked like.  That, and the aircraft recovery scheme, as there just has to be some helos out to interdict clowns in small craft who always seem bound and determined to wander through such formations. 

Aieieieie, glad i am to not be on any of those bridges.

Lee tried to hit the bridge....

bondoman

Lee tried to hit the bridge....

I shoulda never told ya'll 'bout that....    But I actually tried to miss it!  (And did)  Things get so screwed up on this forum.

CapnMac82

Medicman71:

Here's a pic for ya.

 

And everyone with that lonely gold pin over their right pocket is churning stomach acid like the wake of that ship at the top left in the photo, too. 

Oh, and that lead ship?  Every one in Khaki aboard her is sweating bullets that the snipes do not have a casualty, as that carrier would run them over about the time the collision alarm would be sounded.  Probably have Condition Zulu set throughout, and all the CIC's are fully manned with people on the tactical datanet and the TBS and special lookouts set.

Note, too, they have very deliberately chosen a CAVU day on that Beaufort 0 sea, too.

Makes me wonder what the "break away" plot looked like.  That, and the aircraft recovery scheme, as there just has to be some helos out to interdict clowns in small craft who always seem bound and determined to wander through such formations. 

Aieieieie, glad i am to not be on any of those bridges.

C'mon, CapnMac, where is your love of living on the edge? I know what you mean though, there are a lot of gonads drawn up tight in that bunch.

subfixer

where is your love of living on the edge?

That "edge" was severely dulled by just such exercises.

As it's even more fun in high-freeboard amphib ships with graceful tactical circles of 5, and 6, and 700 yards.

Which is as perverse as deliberately grounding one's vessel used to be, before we stayed out at the beginnings of the littoral.  Not that I miss the sound of Ammi barges banging into the hull skin while snubbed up on a couple anchors during a bit of weather.