Arctic III - - Bastions.

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Nuclear submarines, American and Soviet both, operating under the Arctic Ocean pack ice, stalking and attempting to destroy one another, would have been an important aspect of World War Three [Soviet-American conflict], if an when such a war would have been fought!

A major and priority target for American nuclear attack subs operating in arctic waters would have been the Soviet Delta class missile firing boats ["boomers"], the latter operating out of Soviet/Russian naval bastions.

"A bastion in naval strategy is a heavily-defended area of water in which friendly naval forces can operate safely. Typically, that area will be partially enclosed by friendly shoreline, defended by mines, monitored by sensors, and heavily patrolled by surface vessels, submarines and air forces."

"Soviet/Russian naval bastions."

Soviet and Russian Naval Bastions - - "The bastion became an important strategy for the ballistic missile submarine fleets of the Soviet Union"

Naval bastions were and are [?] a strategic concept adopted by the Soviet Navy, contrasting markedly with the normal operating procedures of the American submarine force! Those various missile firing submarines [primarily Delta-class boats], DID NOT NORMALLY OPERATE IN PELAGIC WATERS [deep-blue oceans]! Did NOT stray far from the Soviet/Russian coastline, rather, operating in friendly waters contiguous to the coastline!

Supported by an entire apparatus of surface vessels, Soviet attack subs, naval aviation, and sophisticated listening devices!! A BASTION!! PROTECTED!!

Bastions which were located in arctic waters, SOVIET SUBMARINES PATROLLING UNDER THE ICE [?], RELATIVELY IMPERVIOUS FROM INTERFERENCE OR DETECTION!!

[Soviet submarines were and are [?] equipped with a specially strengthened "sail", allowing for a boat to smash upward through the ice if needed! An ability of a submarine to operate under or in proximity to arctic waters was designed into Soviet subs from the start!]

"The Barents Sea was made a bastion for the Soviet Red Banner Northern Fleet"

And, on the other side of the world: "the Sea of Okhotsk for the Soviet Pacific Fleet" [a second Soviet naval bastion.]

Arctic bastions the penetration of which, during a time of crisis or war with the Soviet Union, would have been a critical and overriding mission for American nuclear attack submarines, presumably of the Los Angeles class, submarines in some cases specially equipped to operate in arctic waters, under the ice!!

"These 688i boats [Los Angeles variation] are also designed for under-ice operations: their diving planes are on the bow rather than on the sail, and they have reinforced sails."

Read the "diary", from a warfare simulation web site, of how the underwater "cat and mouse" game of predator and prey would have played out in arctic waters, again, in the case of a crisis or war between the Soviet Union and the United States

"Episode Three: Barents Sea, Part 1 - The Boomer Bastion Raid"

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