Guns & blowing stuff up

[tombogan03884]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEiwFmiatTk&feature=related

[PegLeg45]

I read this thing one time that talked about modern torpedos and it said that they blow up actually a meter or so away from the vessel in which they are trying to destroy. That the force of water caused by the detonation does more damage than a direct hit from the torpedo. It kinda looks like what happens in this video. The ship almost looks to get swallowed up by the blast instead of the actual hull being punctured and the exploding from with in.

I saw a video on Discovery channel once where they made an explosion detonate around 200 feet below the surface under an old battleship in Australia (I think). The resulting bubble caused way more damage than a hit would have. The ship broke in half and sank quickly.

[deepwater]

talked to a submariner in Guam about torpedoes. he says that they do detonate under the ship and create a bubble under the ship. the lack of water dense enough to support the ship in the middle causes it to sag (when buoyancy is greater fore and aft, but heavier in the middle - midships) and the resulting stress is much to great for any ship to withstand. that destroyer was built to take severe hits and stay afloat. seperate watertight compartments etc.. but the stress from the explosion - initial shock and then the sagging in the middle - breaks her back and that's the end.  the ship I'm on would be gone in a couple of seconds. hope we don't have another real naval war, I'd be in the middle of it, and one hell of a target.

[deepwater]

just a note about hogging and sagging, it's the #1 reason for ships lost at sea, the 1st mate is in charge of cargo, and if he doesn't know what he's doing he can break a ship in half in a few hours of cargo operations. and most mates are clewless.

[Hazcat]

just a note about hogging and sagging, it's the #1 reason for ships lost at sea, the 1st mate is in charge of cargo, and if he doesn't know what he's doing he can break a ship in half in a few hours of cargo operations. and most mates are clewless.

Yes, but can they spell?

[Sponsor]

[alfsauve]

.... most mates are clewless.

Is that a pun?  Clew-less?

[PegLeg45]

Yes, but can they spell?

Could've been worse...he could have said "clawless".......................

[Timothy]

The Mark 48...

Torpedoes are self-propelled guided projectiles that operate underwater and are designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target. They may be launched from submarines, surface ships, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. The three major torpedoes in the Navy inventory are the Mark 48 heavyweight torpedo, the Mark 46 lightweight and the Mark 50 advanced lightweight.

Since sonic waves (explosion = sonic wave created by HExplosive) travel about 5 times faster in water, a more dense medium than air, the explosive force is nearly 5 times more powerfull (Newtons Third Law).  If a Mark 48 detonates on contact or within the vacinity of a ship, the damage would be similar.  Depth charges are based on that damaging wave and the physics involved in the displacement of the water around the charge.

The 650 lbs of high explosive in a M48 is devastating on a direct hit but nearly as deadly if detonated at or near the target.  I think, and can verify with my brother on the max depth for optimal destructive force but then he would have to shoot me...

As they said in my debriefing..."I don't have a need to know"...

[tombogan03884]

just a note about hogging and sagging, it's the #1 reason for ships lost at sea, the 1st mate is in charge of cargo, and if he doesn't know what he's doing he can break a ship in half in a few hours of cargo operations. and most mates are clewless.

That was why the 4 and 5 masted sailing ships did not last, bow and stern would lift on waves and middle would break.

[deepwater]

bow and stern would lift on waves and middle would break.

pictures from a trip to Japan from Hawaii. we had a hull crack caused by the seas and the captain refusing to slow down despite warnings from the chief engineer. and these guys are supposed to know what they're doing. they take classes and train for this and they still screw up.