VOLUME I Multinational Maritime Tactical Instructions and Procedures

MTP 1(D), Vol. I
12051 DELIVERY OF CHEMICAL AGENTS
Chemical attack against ships may be delivered as:
a. The warhead of a weapon aimed to hit the target and breach the citadel.
b. A vapor cloud released upwind of the target or through which ships may have to transit.
c. A spray released above the target by aircraft, bombs, shells, or missiles.
12052 NATURE OF CHEMICAL AGENTS
The group of nerve agents is odorless, colorless, tasteless, and, for all practical purposes, invisible.
Blister agents, blood agents, and choking agents may also be invisible, but each has a characteristic odor.
Even with chemical detectors, the first indication of attack may be the onset of symptoms in personnel.
With washdown systems operating, some chemical agents may still be absorbed into paintwork, and the
subsequent vapor hazard could last for several days.
12053 ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
a. The travel of toxic clouds and the persistence of chemical agents are influenced by meteorological
conditions as follows:
(1) Wind. Air stability, wind speed, and turbulence are the major factors governing agent concentration,
while wind direction determines the downwind hazard. Optimum wind speed for toxic clouds is
between 5 and 8 knots. Vapor concentration and persistency of liquid agents decrease as wind speed
increases.
(2) Temperature. At high air temperatures, liquid agents evaporate faster, and the dosage received
could be larger and more quickly absorbed.
b. Some types of chemical agent are fully effective under arctic conditions.
c. Agents delivered in the warhead of a weapon aimed to hit the target are relatively unaffected by
meteorological conditions.
12054 THREAT TO NAVAL FORCES
a. General Single Spray Attacks. These attacks against one or more fully protected naval
ships on open sea are not likely; chemical clouds (aerosols) in maritime areas, however, are apt to drift
around for hours at levels where they pose no danger to ships but where they are a serious and unexpected
threat to unprotected naval aircrews during low-level operations. In general, chemical attacks against shipping
will be executed supplementary to conventional weapons attacks.
b. Coastal Operations. Concentrating ships in harbor and inshore waters where their maneuverability
is restricted increases their susceptibility to chemical attack and the likelihood of enemy success.
The embarkation and disembarkation phases of amphibious operations are particularly susceptible to
chemical attack, since the ships will be at least in a relaxed state of close-down condition.
c. Open-Ocean Operations. A well-protected and well-trained naval force should be capable
of prolonged operations in a toxic environment. The threat of, or an attack by, chemical agents could reduce
the effectiveness of such a force. The success of a chemical attack, which will be most likely from
weapons aimed to breach the citadel, will depend on the preparedness of individual units, protection devices,
and the formation chosen.
12-12 ORIGINAL