Byron Angel wrote: " As to the question of singed flesh, etc, I can only speculate; but it is worth keeping in mind that the projectile itself would have been extremely hot."
Hi Byron, thanks for this info. I never thought about that, especially to the fact that the poor remains of the people killed directly by the shell would have been burnt as well.
Wadinga wrote: "The fuse type changed nose to base but no AP at all. "
Hi Sean, a base fused shell is not intended anyway to explode immediately after touching the thin plate of the compass.
I can suppose the 8" shells from PG were the equivalent of the Semi-Armour Piercing shells (as per British naming) but, not being an expert of German ammunition, I'm not sure at all.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BL_8_inch_ ... Ammunition. British Semi AP shell however seems to have both nose and base fuse in it......
In any case, the photo in my above post demonstrates that the shell did not explode inside the ship and did not leave any sign of splinters on the outer side of the SLS splinter shield of the upper bridge.
However, I don't see any reason why the technicians that inspected the ship should have been wrong classifying for sure the shell as a 15" shell. They mentioned the shell lost its ballistic cap. Perhaps they found its fragments, thus allowing a 100% reliable classification.
Hit n.2 is the only one where the damage report says it was probably a 15" but possibly an 8" that did not explode as well within the ship......
Wadinga wrote: "Woods was inside the main DCT trunk (was that armoured? and had not actually reached the Upper Deck when the blast happened. Was there a dogged hatch on the DCT trunk?"
No armour at this level (upper bridge) as in my drawings all the armour is highlighted with a different line width.
No hatch over (to 14" DCT) or below as they are as well always represented on the drawings. Just a sliding door on the DCT tower side (you see it in Antonio posted drawing earlier in this thread, it is partially covered by the green circle in my post) and a ladder down (to Admiral Bridge).
Wafdinga wrote: "............Compass Platform which had a shut door presumably."
The detail damage report says that the door was already open and could not be subsequently closed after the hit passed through (not a big surprise looking at the photos...).
Wadinga wrote: "Whereas Leach is unhurt/unaffected by his experience and saunters over the perhaps undamaged voice pipes to coolly give the ORDER for a turn which nobody actually ever recorded. We know the ship turned, we don't know what the order was."
Sorry Sean, here I really think that you can't accept the fact that Leach himself said in his reports that
he decided to disengage. Therefore this point is closed if you don't have any evidence that can support the speculation regarding someone else who might have given the order.
Bye, Alberto