The explosives question
Moderator: Bill Jurens
The explosives question
okay.
No way it might damage the propellers.
What kind of explosives were actually available ?
No way it might damage the propellers.
What kind of explosives were actually available ?
There was the 15in or secondary powder, but that would just end up like the HMS Interceptor on Pirates of the Carribean, where they blow up the ship with a trail of powder leading to the magazine. I see two possible things happening in that scenario.
1. The powder set and timed ,the crew close the door, a boom, and a trail of bubbles appear behind the ship like a giant beastly fart.
2. The whole stern is blown off the ship, the propeller shafts are bent, Bismarck is completely dead in the water, and there is a possibility of the rear 15in magazines incinerating the ship in a "Hood" repeat.
1. The powder set and timed ,the crew close the door, a boom, and a trail of bubbles appear behind the ship like a giant beastly fart.
2. The whole stern is blown off the ship, the propeller shafts are bent, Bismarck is completely dead in the water, and there is a possibility of the rear 15in magazines incinerating the ship in a "Hood" repeat.
hi 30knots,
in answer to your question the explosives available to the DC party trying to free the rudders was most likely a blend of TNT/hexanite; this was a standard German naval explosive for demolition work as well as the basis for torpedo warheads.
in answer to your question the explosives available to the DC party trying to free the rudders was most likely a blend of TNT/hexanite; this was a standard German naval explosive for demolition work as well as the basis for torpedo warheads.
Their shoulders held the sky suspended;
They stood and Earth's foundations stay;
What God abandoned these defended;
And saved the sum of things for pay.
hi Raimus,
Yes, same explosive as used in scuttling charges. In fact the scuttling charges were kept under lock and key but were available to DC and engineering personnel should scuttling become necessary.
Yes, same explosive as used in scuttling charges. In fact the scuttling charges were kept under lock and key but were available to DC and engineering personnel should scuttling become necessary.
Their shoulders held the sky suspended;
They stood and Earth's foundations stay;
What God abandoned these defended;
And saved the sum of things for pay.
TNT is a very, very powerful explosive and the problem would be measuring out enough to get the job done without causing more collateral damage to the ship's structure, particularly in an area that has already been weakened. Military high explosives are great for destroying things, but less good for what is in essence a surgical chore. I think one of the main worries was that if the charges were too strong, the stern might collapse onto the propellors rendering the ship completely immobile. This would require some very careful calculations by an explosives demolitions expert, and I doubt seriously if there happened to be one handy. The other problem was placing the charges in the right place, and it was nearly impossible to work inside the flooded steering compartment due to the ship's pitching. As Bismarck pitched towards the bow, the stern would rise and the water in the compartment would pour out, only to come rushing back in like a flood when the stern pitched down again. The other alternative, lowering a diver over the side to plant charges onto rudders was also ruled out due to the heavy seas.
Their shoulders held the sky suspended;
They stood and Earth's foundations stay;
What God abandoned these defended;
And saved the sum of things for pay.
The ship had both cutting and welding equipment on board, but I doubt that one could do much to repair the damage even in calm seas with the equipment and material at hand. The hole blasted in the steering compartment by the torpedo warhead was simply too large and covered too great an area. Perhaps if the weather had been calm, the rudders might have been uncoupled from the steering gear and moved to midships position providing the rudder shafting was not so distorted as to make even that impossible. It might have been possible using torches to cut the rudder shafting and jettison the rudders if divers could be put over the side and if time allowed. Under the conditions that prevailed that night, it was difficult to even assess the full extent of the damage, so we will probably never know for sure what might or might not have been possible.
Their shoulders held the sky suspended;
They stood and Earth's foundations stay;
What God abandoned these defended;
And saved the sum of things for pay.