Was Ukraine's use of jury-rigged unmanned surface vessels to attack Russian warships in Sevastopol port a sign of a revolution in naval warfare? Not so fast. Don't neglect the tradition of auxiliary cruisers.
This article urging people not to count too much on unmanned (or "uncrewed") surface vessels (USVs) like the Ukrainian vessels used to attack Sevastopol being revolutionary. And even if such USVs can add mass to fleets of conventional crewed vessels, the article notes that USVs aren't the only means to create mass:
Moreover, it would be a mistake to assume that efforts to leverage cheap mass are restricted to uncrewed assets. Auxiliaries, in particular, are playing an increasingly critical role in augmenting the mass of surface fleets. For example, China has legislated that flagged ferries be built to military specifications, enabling them to be used as auxiliaries in an amphibious assault. Similarly, there is evidence of the People’s Liberation Army Navy training fishermen to operate as sentries, using satellite phones to communicate with military units. The containerisation of missiles like the Russian Klub or the Chinese YJ-18 also opens pathways for auxiliary vessels to be used in military functions. China maintains a maritime militia that operates a significant number of vessels, the largest of which – at 750 tons displacement – are comparable to corvettes and could carry containerised missiles (though they have not been used in this capacity). Furthermore, such vessels are numerous enough to provide a persistent harassing presence in the ‘grey zone’.
RUSI is preaching to the TDR choir on naval auxiliaries--a long-used means of quickly adding naval power--and the use of containerized missiles and systems to make them more lethal. I proposed networked Modularized Auxiliary Cruisers:
We need another option to provide low-cost hulls capable of a broad range of missions in war and peace. The Danish flexible support ship RDN Absalon, built in a civilian shipyard, is designed to use “modularity and scalability” to carry out a variety of combat and support missions at low cost. Using self-contained modules that “contain entire warfighting systems,” Absalon can be quickly reconfigured. Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winters was impressed by the ship, stating:
There are definitely lessons here that we can use in the U.S.Modularity and scalability applied to civilian hulls could provide affordable Modularized Auxiliary Cruisers.
The system modules for Modularized Auxiliary Cruisers would have to be self-contained because they would not be installed on a ship designed to incorporate the modules, as the LCS is envisioned. This limits capabilities to what the modules contain, but auxiliary cruisers have never been intended to replace warships. Modularized Auxiliary Cruisers would be plugged into our naval network to fight within a task force or for missions not needing the capabilities of a conventional warship.
Armored standard (20' l x 8.0' w x 8.5' h) general purpose shipping containers would be the building blocks for system modules. Other sizes are available as well, including 40' x 8.0' x 8.5' containers, "hicube" containers measuring 40' x 8.0' x 9.5', and 40' x 8.0' x 4.25' half-height containers. Because Containerized Modules would not be stacked to create a Modularized Auxiliary Cruiser, weapons, sensors, or other equipment could extend above the container roof.
Sexy new silver bullet solutions to replace existing capabilities can distract us from adapting traditional dull capabilities to bolster combat power.
NOTE: Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
