Victoria Station unexploded bomb
Discussion
What are the chances of one of these many unexploded bombs suddenly deciding to make a big bang? I guess without some sort of intervention (like a digger hitting it) then vanishingly small? Even when they are discovered by a JCB they never seem to blow.
I mainly ask because I find the biggest pile of unexploded bombs in the country fascinating (the SS Richard Montgomery) and I do wonder what the chances are that it could ever blow...
I mainly ask because I find the biggest pile of unexploded bombs in the country fascinating (the SS Richard Montgomery) and I do wonder what the chances are that it could ever blow...
They have to assume they are still live. Besides, would you want to take any chances with a German 4,000lb "Satan" bomb?
A German excavator driver was killed by a WW2 bomb only 2 years ago.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25594000
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39XWo6rI-TU
A German excavator driver was killed by a WW2 bomb only 2 years ago.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25594000
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39XWo6rI-TU
smn159 said:
Trevatanus said:
Did you not know?
Muslims now have time machines, they went back and started WW2! It's all their fault!
Is there not an EU / BBC / poor people angle to this as well?Muslims now have time machines, they went back and started WW2! It's all their fault!
PH is slipping
Blue Oval84 said:
What are the chances of one of these many unexploded bombs suddenly deciding to make a big bang? I guess without some sort of intervention (like a digger hitting it) then vanishingly small? Even when they are discovered by a JCB they never seem to blow.
I mainly ask because I find the biggest pile of unexploded bombs in the country fascinating (the SS Richard Montgomery) and I do wonder what the chances are that it could ever blow...
Seems pretty evenI mainly ask because I find the biggest pile of unexploded bombs in the country fascinating (the SS Richard Montgomery) and I do wonder what the chances are that it could ever blow...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Richard_Montgomer...
An investigation by New Scientist magazine concluded in 2004, based partly on government documents released in 2004, that the cargo was still deadly, and could be detonated by a collision, an attack, or even shifting of the cargo in the tide. The bad condition of the bombs is such that they could explode spontaneously
funkyrobot said:
s2kjock said:
Cotty said:
Victoria Station was evacuated after an unexploded Second World War bomb was discovered during building works.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-ra...
Cool kit
Why would a bomb disposal type police person have a sidearm? Is it for dealing with sea-mines like in the movies?http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-ra...
Cool kit
Yellowjack, that's interesting stuff. How do they contain or collect what's steamed out of the casing?
Digga said:
funkyrobot said:
s2kjock said:
Cotty said:
Victoria Station was evacuated after an unexploded Second World War bomb was discovered during building works.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-ra...
Cool kit
Why would a bomb disposal type police person have a sidearm? Is it for dealing with sea-mines like in the movies?http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-ra...
Cool kit
Yellowjack, that's interesting stuff. How do they contain or collect what's steamed out of the casing?
Digga said:
...Yellowjack, that's interesting stuff. How do they contain or collect what's steamed out of the casing?
Have a read of this...http://www.independent.co.uk/news/the-day-the-blit...
...as Mike Lobb was my troop commander during the 1991 Gulf War. He was awarded a QGM for that bomb job.
Briefly, though, steam sterilization contains the explosive fill onto a big sheet, and it gets bagged up, and trucked off to be burned. In small quantities, and without a fuse, detonator and booster charge, explosives burn fiercely but most won't explode, as they are designed to be stable to permit shipping and handling prior to use. It's the fuses and detonators which are far easier to initiate, hence why they tend to be kept separately and are only brought together with the bulk explosives when they are being prepared for use.
Some of the German explosive types from WWII are now very unstable, and grow less stable as they age. Other types become less 'explosive' as they degrade. Modern stuff is very stable, especially C4/PE4 (plastic explosive). You could mould that stuff into a ball and play baseball with it without risk. Only when you add a detonator or detonating cord does it go 'bang' in a big way.
Back during WWII things didn't always go to plan... http://www.royalengineersbombdisposal-eod.org.uk/2...
There is a lot of dry unit history, dates, names and such, in this page... http://www.bombdisposalclub.org.uk/BD_history.htm ...but the top portion does explain the mechanics of German fusing and bomb construction in decent detail for anyone interested.
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