The destroyer quickly moved to engage the submarines, and fired off two torpedoes of their own. Several of the anti-submarine helicopters began to report multiple submarine contacts; they too began dropping torpedoes in an attempt to chase them off while the destroyers attacked them. Within minutes, the sounds of several submarine hulls imploding could be heard as the torpedoes made impact.
In the skies over the battlegroup, the Su-43’s began to launch anti-ship missiles, adding to the fray of missiles the smaller attack boats had launched. As the missiles fired, it looked like streaks of lightning stabbing in the direction of the American fleet as they began their journey to their targets. Between the IR missile boats and the Su-43’s, 480 Exocets were fired at the battlegroup in an attempt to overwhelm their defensive capabilities. Twenty-eight missiles made it through the laser and missile screen and began to score hits against the battlegroup. While the Exocets were closing in on the fleet, the bombers began to launch their two Russian-made P-270s Moskits (also known as SS-N-22D Sunburn anti-ship missiles). These missiles travel at three times the speed of sound, carrying 710 lbs. of high explosives.
The ocean around the battlegroup was being lit up like the 4th of July as hundreds of missiles, lasers and railguns were being fired. Missiles were exploding in an almost constant rolling of thunder. Despite the enormous success of the battlegroups defensive screen, eight frigates, seven destroyers and all three of the remaining guided missile ships were hit by the remnants of the Exocets missile barrage. Bright flashes of light could be seen for miles as the missiles were hitting their targets and the subsequent flames raged out of control on the damaged ships. The sea was starting to look as if it itself was on fire as diesel from the ships began to leak and burn on the surface of the sea. One Exocet hit the Enterprise, causing the ship to shudder slightly despite inflicting minimal damage, while three missiles hit the Bush, causing damage to the flight deck. Several aircraft that were still trying to take off were obliterated, and one of the elevators that was descending in order to move another fighter to the flight deck imploded. Several fires could be seen in the night sky from the Bush, while her crew immediately went to work putting them out and trying to repair the flight deck so they could launch more aircraft.
As the Exocets were hitting the fleet, 120 Sunburns began their final approach. Ninety-eight of the missiles were destroyed by the anti-missile laser defense system, while 22 missiles scored hits all across the fleet. The Enterprise took two more hits, one near the waterline causing significant damage to the crew quarters area and the second hitting just below the hanger deck that housed the aircraft munitions. As the missile exploded, it caused several secondary explosions, which tore through the hanger deck and two decks below, killing hundreds of crewmen in a fiery cauldron of death.
Two of the cruisers blew up shortly after being hit with the second round of missiles. The Bush was hit by five Sunburn missiles, scoring several hits just above the waterline. One shell hit the hanger deck, killing many members of the aircraft maintenance crew. The remaining missile hit near the engine room, shutting down one of the engines. The George H. W. Bush was severely damaged and starting to burn; she was also starting to list to one side.
As the ballistic missiles began their descent on the remains of the fleet, the last anti-missile frigate began to engage the missiles with its SM3s and the one pulse laser that was still operational. The Captain of the ship was not optimistic of their chances to destroy all of the incoming barrage; they had already expended 70 % of their own missiles, and the batteries for the pulse laser were low from engaging the last two waves of rockets.
The battle lasted less than twenty-five minutes. Admiral Jeremiah Lewis knew he had lost his fleet as the third wave of missiles, this time the ballistic ones, began to rain down on the remains of the 5th Fleet. Three of the five nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles detonated at various positions over the fleet. The carrier George H. W. Bush took a direct hit and was completely destroyed, disappearing below the waves before the blast evaporated. The Enterprise was on the edge of two different blast zones; the carrier was battered on both sides from the blast and began to burn badly. Once the fires reached the ship’s jet fuel, the carrier sank, taking all hands with her.
Two of the ships in the fleet were outside of the blast zones and survived to report on the engagement. The mood of those who had lived through the attack was grim.
Still unaware of the events that had taken place, 6th Fleet was moving into position. Vice Admiral Lisa Todd was being groomed to become a four-star admiral and had just taken command of the fleet in June. As the battlegroup neared Israel, Admiral Todd began to spend most of her time in the CIC with the ship’s Captain. She had a gut feeling the IR was going to launch a pre-emptive attack, and was determined not to be caught off guard.
“Captain Carr, we are now less than one hundred miles from our patrol position. Are we detecting any additional increase in activity at the IR airbases or ports?” she asked.
The captain looked to his intelligence officer to provide the answer.
“The E5 has spotted a number of aircraft taking off from various airbases in Egypt; the activity just started less than five minutes ago. The analysts are still trying to determine what they are up to. There are already a number of IR ships on patrols, though we are seeing additional activity in the ports.”
“Captain, let’s go ahead and move the fleet to general quarters. I have a feeling something is up with the IR and I do not want to be caught flatfooted. Launch the Air Wing, but keep them in orbit over the fleet and be ready for whatever may happen over the next couple of hours,” said Admiral Todd as her intuition and training told her an attack was imminent.
“I understand your concern, Admiral. Perhaps we should increase the fleet’s speed and get closer to our shore-based air cover,” said Captain Carr.
“I agree, let’s make haste. Have the MEF ships tighten up their position and order them to prepare to conduct their amphibious assault of the IR attacks. I want the MEF to head straight for the beaches and secure their targets if the IR decides to start the party early.”
The quick thinking and gut instincts of Admiral Todd were probably the only thing that saved the 6th Fleet from the fate of the 5th. When the IR missile boats and aircraft began to head towards the fleet to fire their Exocets and Sunburn missiles, the fleet was in position to attack them at maximum range and keep them from getting within reach of their missiles.
With the entire carrier Air Wing already in the sky, they were in quick position to attack the IR fighters and bombers before they were able to get into range. Essentially, the entire IR attacking force had been stopped, with the majority of the assailants destroyed. Only five Exocets and two Sunburns hit the fleet, sinking one destroyer who took two hits and a frigate who took a hit to their missile magazine. The other impacts were absorbed by the rest of the fleet, with no catastrophic damage done.
With the attack blunted, the 6th Fleet began to launch hundreds of cruise missiles at their assigned targets all across Egypt and the Sinai. The MEF began to move into position to assault the Suez Canal Zone (SCZ), while the Marine Air Wing began softening up the IR ground forces in the Sinai.
The E5 sentry drone began to detect the sheer volume of missile and artillery fire being directed all across Israel. Admiral Todd directed 50 of the cruise missiles to go after the artillery and MLRS vehicles in the Sinai. Her hope was to reduce the volume of fire being poured across the border and to minimize the possibility of it being redirected at the MEF. She directed half of the Air Wing to engage the IR fighters that had survived attacks by the Air Force and the IDF, and ordered another 400 cruise missiles to hit IR troop, missile and artillery positions all across the Jordan Valley, Lebanon and Syrian border.