Time to start bigging up the new book. I was at the CinC Fleet headquarters in Northwood in 88 - 90. Its a period that has largely been forgotten because it was overshadowed by the first Gulf War that started in 91. However, the Iran Iraq war had a devastating effect on marine traffic in the Gulf over that period. Many urgent operational requirements were brought in to counter the small boat threat of what were generically called 'Bog Hammers'. In fact it was a Swedish boat company called Boghammar that first provided the speed boats that caused so much trouble. Basically Iran wanted to stifle Iraq oil exports and Iraq wanted to escalate things to the point where the US came in on their side. In fact it was just that threat that eventually brought Iran to the negotiating table. These small speedboats were heavily armed for their size and caused all sorts of problems to merchant and military ships alike. The new book, which is almost complete, is about this time in the Gulf although I've ramped up the tension just a little by giving Iran a nuclear warhead to play with..........
Oh and during my research I was surprised (or maybe not actually) to discover that all the chemicals that Saddam used to create chemical weapons which he used on the Iranians and his own people at the time came from the US. I sometimes think that people have a point when they call the US 'The Great Satan.'
Small, heavily armed, fast boats caused trouble far in excess of their size and firepower.
I seem to recall these were the jobbies that had Nelson spinning in his grave. If only the Powers That Be had let it be known they would replace all confiscated IPods then all would have been well. Well, it would have been less embarrassing anyway.
ReplyDeleteSorry to say the Merkins do better at that sort of thing. You see, THEIR navy personnel would have died to the last man and woman making a pointless and in the end futile gesture (thus preserving the sanctity of their IPods). This would have given them the excuse to invade some Caribbean island or other or flatten Iraq. Ah no, sorry getting confused. They'd already done that, hadn't they?
Cynical old Hector, you are!!
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