Article

2007-06-14 Caribbean-Latin America

Chavez to finalise Russian submarines deal

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Posted by Steve White 2007-06-14 09:18|| || Front Page|| [11127 views ] Top

#1 Oh goodie. Target practice!

Posted by US Navy">US Navy 2007-06-14 09:44|| 2007-06-14 09:44|| Front Page Top

#2 Getting the subs is one thing. Learning to use them effectively is another. Is Russia going to provide crews as well?
Diesel boats can be an effective threat if used correctly - they are very quiet when running on batteries. If you know how to use them, that is. Learning how can be deadly.

Posted by Rambler">Rambler 2007-06-14 09:53|| 2007-06-14 09:53|| Front Page Top

#3 Rambler - you are absolutely correct. Its one thing to have them, another to know how to use them, and you cant train them overnight.

I'm less worried about us getting hit - its the Dutch that should be worried with thier islands on Hugo's doorstep.

Posted by Yosemite Sam 2007-06-14 10:20|| 2007-06-14 10:20|| Front Page Top

#4 The Venezuelan Navy has been running diesel electric subs for several decades. Usually, though, they've been from Europe and not Russia.

Posted by Abdominal Snowman 2007-06-14 10:48|| 2007-06-14 10:48|| Front Page Top

#5 We're the ones who turned our medium anti-sub patrol planes into tankers, and then started retiring them from even that.

Posted by Abdominal Snowman 2007-06-14 10:50|| 2007-06-14 10:50|| Front Page Top

#6 Of course, there's no Los Angeles-class attack subs lurking in the Caribbean waiting for these mooks to burble noisily past. Oh, heavens no!

Posted by mojo">mojo 2007-06-14 11:12|| 2007-06-14 11:12|| Front Page Top

#7 Do you think we have enough LA class subs to cover both seaboards and do all the forward deployed things we need them to do in Asia, the Indian Ocean/Persian Gulf, the Arctic Ocean?

Posted by Abdominal Snowman 2007-06-14 11:43|| 2007-06-14 11:43|| Front Page Top

#8 If Venezuela wants to take over Aruba and Noth Antilles (right off their coast) subs would be a nice deterent. Of course the European anti-military stance would be an even better deterent.

Perhaps Chavez should consider villifying the Europeans for awhile since he can't provoke the US.

Posted by rjschwarz 2007-06-14 12:51|| 2007-06-14 12:51|| Front Page Top

#9 Venezuela starting an artificial reef program?

Posted by tu3031 2007-06-14 12:56|| 2007-06-14 12:56|| Front Page Top

#10 Had the chance last weekend to tour that soviet attack sub at the San Diego Maritime Museum. Decommissioned in '94. Libya currently as 4 of em rusting away for those very reasons stated. Looks good on paper - operations are another matter. This is in itself interesting as these subs, while effective are brutally primitive. The one I saw was based off the Type XXI U-boat and used an analogue targeting computer. This suggests that those purchases were either just bluffs or forward asset placements to be used by implanted soviet crews in the case of hostilities. The Libyans never had or invested in the proper expertise to operate them. Chavez is just being suckered by the Russkies.

Posted by Rex Mundi 2007-06-14 13:17|| 2007-06-14 13:17|| Front Page Top

#11 Narc traffickers have been caught using subs off Colombia, Spain, and So. Korea and some of the reportedly missing nuclear missiles are sub-launched, if I remember correctly. Even if the launch tubes are destroyed, can't they reverse engineer them? 40' whale sharks migrate off the coast of So. America north toward Belize, putting the Navy at odds with Greenpeace for any maneuvers in these pristine waters. I trust Chavez less than I do the Russians and apparently that is meaningless, so the US must prepare to stand alone and defend ourselves again.

Posted by Danielle 2007-06-14 15:40|| 2007-06-14 15:40|| Front Page Top

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