If Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz with its navy, how long would it take for the US Navy to destroy its fleet?
Fairly quick, but not without its problems.
The Strait of Hormuz is very narrow. You don’t want to be sinking a bunch of ships there. Most of the strait is not very deep, even less so as you come into the Gulf. A fleet of sunken ships would create a hazard to shipping, and make it impossible for submarines to transit submerged.
The shipping channel is deep, but it’s only a few miles wide, and as you exit the channel into the Gulf it shallows quickly. Now when I say shallow, it’s far more than deep enough for shipping purposes; generally 150′ plus. But the masts of ships resting on the bottom can be over 100′ height, keel to mast. Start piling up ships, you could have a problem.
But in all likelihood they would mine the strait, not block it with ships. They know they aren’t going to last long, fighting blow-for-blow.
Fairly quick, but not without its problems.
The Strait of Hormuz is very narrow. You don’t want to be sinking a bunch of ships there. Most of the strait is not very deep, even less so as you come into the Gulf. A fleet of sunken ships would create a hazard to shipping, and make it impossible for submarines to transit submerged.
The shipping channel is deep, but it’s only a few miles wide, and as you exit the channel into the Gulf it shallows quickly. Now when I say shallow, it’s far more than deep enough for shipping purposes; generally 150′ plus. But the masts of ships resting on the bottom can be over 100′ height, keel to mast. Start piling up ships, you could have a problem.
But in all likelihood they would mine the strait, not block it with ships. They know they aren’t going to last long, fighting blow-for-blow.