Image source: topwar.ru
Recently, Chinese military experts have increasingly stated about China's ability to strike at American aircraft carriers. However, the command of the US Navy is confident that in any case, American ships will be able to repel any attacks by the Chinese army, aviation and navy.
Columnist Craig Hooper writes on the pages of The Forbes that the United States is sending older aircraft carriers to the zone of potential conflict with China. This can only mean that the Navy command still admits the possibility of losing ships and does not want new aircraft carriers to come under attack.
According to Hooper, the United States is currently not ready to fully respond to possible strikes by the Chinese armed forces on aircraft carriers. This makes us think about the fate of thousands of American sailors who serve on aircraft carriers: after all, the crews of ships will have to be rescued.
Aircraft carriers are a priority target for any enemy of the United States, and there is no doubt that if it comes to an armed conflict with China, Chinese forces will first strike aircraft carriers. Moreover, the sinking of an American aircraft carrier will be the strongest image blow to the United States, and the Chinese military understands this very well.
However, Hooper writes, even if China succeeds in successfully attacking and sinking an American aircraft carrier, most of the carrier's crew and air wing will still survive. For example, during World War II, the United States lost four aircraft carriers, and no more than 10% of sailors died on each of them. Thousands of officers and sailors were rescued.
But then the question arises how the United States will be able to evacuate, say, 4 thousand wounded, injured or irradiated people from a downed aircraft carrier to a safe haven. Hooper concludes that the US Navy is not ready for such a development.
Now the United States uses far fewer ships to escort aircraft carriers than during the Second World War. For example, in the South China Sea, the main escort group of the USS Nimitz consists of only three destroyers and one cruiser. Most likely, modern surface ships will not follow alongside the aircraft carrier. This will save them from destruction, but also prevent operational assistance to the crew of the aircraft carrier. Naturally, there will be no talk of towing an aircraft carrier damaged as a result of strikes.
Hooper calls on the US Navy to invest in rescue and medical services, increase the number of support ships in carrier strike groups, and form a large rescue fleet.
