Preparing to be STORMED?
“***UPDATE***
#Russian navy starbursts from Novorossiysk earlier today. Likely drill against #Ukrainian air attack. This is now their main base in Black Sea
Not visible in this lower resolution imagery, but the Improved-KILO Class submarines likely submerging at their berths to reduce exposure”
https://twitter.com/CovertShores/status/1833970310376554993
A SHADOW is a coming?
“This doesn’t look like an exercise for air defence. Looks like a substantial sortie with at least one corvette clearing the harbour entrance and probably tasked to sweep the coordinated departure route. I cannot see why you’d go to this effort simply to get off the wall for AAW.”
” You could say it’s to test an immediate departure if there were indications of an inbound raid but, even with main engines rung on IF you could maintain that posture indefinitely alongside, you’ll still need all crew onboard and it still takes time to get all lines clear /1
Then you’ll need a very strict order of departure. If the wind isn’t in your favour tugs will be essential to at least get off the wall and with other ships trying manoeuvre in the inner basin, to stop you all running into each other/2
Another issue is you may foul each others arcs for CIWS and associated FC systems if the threat is low in terminal phase. Chaff definitely will NOT be an option /3
Handling ropes, wires and fenders in the dark at action stations has its own inherent difficulties as it’s not usually conducted in State 1. It’s dangerous enough normally but under air attack it’ll be pretty hazards to say the least. Manoeuvring in that restricted berth, more so
So what they up to? Do they genuinely think there’s an impending strike threat and given warning, they could carry out a coordinated departure? Even one of the Krivaks was starting up main engines (not both interestingly). Or did they sortie for another reason…”
https://twitter.com/FifTimeLucky/status/1834023978513355096