Carriers!: “The Queens of the Sea” … and/or naval chessboard? (fwd)
January 2nd, 2009 From
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>Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 16:04:25 -0500 (CDT)
>From: “Louis R. Coatney”
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>To: marhst-l@qucdn.queensu.ca, mahan@microwrks.com
>Subject: Carriers!: “The Queens of the Sea” … and/or naval >chessboard? (fwd)
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>Sender: mahan-owner@microworks.net
>
>
>My e-mail still isn’t receiving (until I get rid of another 3MB from
> my account, but I thought you folks might enjoy this post from times
> past. 🙂
>
>Lou Coatney
>
>———- Forwarded message ———-
>Date: Mon, 27 Feb 1995 21:46:49 -0600 (CST)
>
> > I would love to hear your naval version. I am a bit skeptical of calling
> > airpower the queen though. But then I usually think of “strategic
> > bombing” when I think of airpower.
>
>OK, David, here’s my (WWII era) naval assignments to the chessboard:
>
>Pawns: Destroyers — workhorses of the sea. Sentinels/guardians.
> They travel and fight best in squadrons.
>
>Knights: Submarines — you never know where they’re going to
> plop down … “pop up.” 🙂 They love to penetrate pawn/
> destroyer lines/screens.
>
>Bishops: Light cruisers adept at slashing attack and dedicated
> to complementing (or killing) destroyers/pawns.
>
>Rooks: Heavy cruisers — also farther-ranging than destroyers/
> pawns and heavier/orthogonal hitters than light cruisers.
> (Somehow, 8″ guns seem more “orthogonal,” and 6″ guns seem
> more “diagonal,” anyway.)
>
>Queen: Aircraft carrier — “fast carriers,” far-ranging and strategic
> in capability like submarines. OK! OK! So carriers are not
> mere combination gun platforms of 8″ and 6″ guns — despite
> their pre-WWII attempts at gun armament. However!: think
> of them as the combined (sea)plane strength of a light and
> heavy cruiser … ? NAAAAAAAAAAAAH 🙂
> I suppose that sub-mariners could make a good case that
> flattops are just bigger/juicier targets, now, and that
> the most powerful pieces on the board should be sub-marine,
> but my opinion *is* WWII era.
>
>King: Battleship — the main battle line. The weapon of last
> resort. Slow. HEAVY. (Larry Clemens? Anyone? What is
> the term for battlewagons, reflecting their commitment being
> their nation’s ultimate throw of the dice? The *capital*
> ship?)
>
>I had considered Rooks as the battleships and the King the
> invasion and/or merchant fleet, but ….
>
>(Sir! This is my cruiser. This is my carrier! This is for
> probing. This is for … ummm … the Harrier? 🙂 )
>
>Lou Coatney, Admiral of the Checkered Sea
> mslrc@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu
>
>Also, is that maritime/naval list in existence yet? Does
> anyone have the address?
>
>Thanks.