E-Books →Modern Naval Combat (2024)

Unseen and unheeded by the majority of laymen, and generally unpublicised by the navies themselvesâ€"still the 'Silent Services' in most nationsâ€"the world's fleets patrol the oceans constantly, frequently coming within very short distances of each other. Unlike the better known land confrontations, such as those on the inner German border between the Warsaw Pact and NATO, on the Chinese-Vietnamese border and on the 'Green Line' between Greek and Turk in Cyprusâ€"the oceans have no clear-cut demarcation line to separate the opposing sides. Instead, apart from a narrow band along the coast, ships and fleets on the high seas can intermingle, the degree of separation depending solely on the skill and determination of their captains. Indeed, more than one collision between Soviet and US Navy ships has provided evidence, if any were needed, of the closeness of the watch that navies keep on each other.