Tallboy explosion in Poland

[BrettMRC]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54522203

No injuries.

Bet that was an eye opening experience!

[Pothole]

Video

[Eric Mc]

Better video -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-2rXilaedg

[saaby93]

The ship was renamed so confusing to find on wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_cruiser_Deuts...

wiki said:

As designed, her standard complement consisted of 33 officers and 586 enlisted men, though after 1935 this was significantly increased to 30 officers and 921–1,040 sailors.[1]

Deutschland's primary armament was six 28 cm (11.0 in) SK C/28 guns mounted in two triple gun turrets, one forward and one aft of the superstructure. The ship carried a secondary battery of eight 15 cm (5.9 in) SK C/28 guns in single turrets grouped amidships. Her anti-aircraft battery originally consisted of three 8.8 cm (3.5 in) L/45 guns, though in 1935 these were replaced with six 8.8 cm L/78 guns. In 1940, the 8.8 cm guns were removed, and six 10.5 cm (4.1 in) L/65 guns, four 3.7 cm (1.5 in) guns, and ten 2 cm (0.79 in) guns were installed in their place. By the end of the war, her anti-aircraft battery had again been reorganized, consisting of six 4 cm (1.6 in) guns, ten 3.7 cm guns, and twenty-eight 2 cm guns.[1]

Surely at most you need about 100 people to operate those guns. What are the other 900 doing?

Edited by saaby93 on Tuesday 13th October 18:20

[Eric Mc]

Working the ship.

[marksx]

How did they manage to find 750 residents to evacuate around that?

[lufbramatt]

Didn’t seem “that” big of an explosion- Does the explosive degrade over time? And I’m guessing the water damps it down too. Certainly puts the Beirut dock explosion into perspective.

[Tony1963]

saaby93 said:

Surely at most you need about 100 people to operate those guns. What are the other 900 doing?

Edited by saaby93 on Tuesday 13th October 18:20

Really?

Have you ever been on board a ship such as HMS Belfast? They are small towns that need to be as self-sufficient as possible. They have their needs.

[Simpo Two]

The 'earthquake bomb' was the Grand Slam, not the Tallboy. Good old BBC.

[Pothole]

saaby93 said:

Surely at most you need about 100 people to operate those guns. What are the other 900 doing?

Edited by saaby93 on Tuesday 13th October 18:20

Admin . There'd be a fair few stokers, too, I reckon.

[aeropilot]

Simpo Two said:

The 'earthquake bomb' was the Grand Slam, not the Tallboy. Good old BBC.

BBC have it got it correct.

Tallboy was Wallis's original Earthquake bomb, and Grand Slam was still a Tallboy as well, originally it was called the Tallboy L (for large) but later was named Grand Slam.

[Eric Mc]

Yes, they were both earthquake bombs. They were actually very effective in water as they could capsize a ship without needing a direct hit. The Tirpitz was eventually finished off with Tallboys.

[Simpo Two]

Eric Mc said:

Yes, they were both earthquake bombs. They were actually very effective in water as they could capsize a ship without needing a direct hit. The Tirpitz was eventually finished off with Tallboys.

I believe one punched a hole straight through it...

[Yertis]

lufbramatt said:

Didn’t seem “that” big of an explosion- Does the explosive degrade over time? And I’m guessing the water damps it down too. Certainly puts the Beirut dock explosion into perspective.

From reading up on it I think the method used here is intended to cause the explosives to burn rather than explode. I guess it still burned fairly vigorously.

[Bullet-Proof_Biscuit]

Thinking about it you'd expect such a heavy pointy thing to burrow deep out of harms way especially bashing into the mud. Cue someone points out they tumble and belly flop and don't go deep at all. Several possible potential innuendos in that, apologies..

[Oilchange]

Weren’t they designed to penetrate U boat pens, about 20 feet of concrete, vertically down and shaped-charge a hole right through?


Wiki corrects. Drill a hole through, explode under or to the side and
1 create a camouflet which collapses in on itself.
2 shakes the foundations to collapse

Edited by Oilchange on Wednesday 14th October 00:03

[Yertis]

Oilchange said:

Weren’t they designed to penetrate U boat pens, about 20 feet of concrete, vertically down and shaped-charge a hole right through?


Wiki corrects. Drill a hole through, explode under or to the side and
1 create a camouflet which collapses in on itself.
2 shakes the foundations to collapse

Edited by Oilchange on Wednesday 14th October 00:03

With regard ships, I would imagine that the hole drilling was a useful effect in itself. The shockwave would add insult to injury.

[aeropilot]

Simpo Two said:

Eric Mc said:

Yes, they were both earthquake bombs. They were actually very effective in water as they could capsize a ship without needing a direct hit. The Tirpitz was eventually finished off with Tallboys.

I believe one punched a hole straight through it...

Its was hit by two Tallboys, but the one that hit between A and B turrets didn't explode.

Ironically, 200 of the only 250 survivors from the Tirpitz sinking, were transferred to this ship, the Lutzow, just the month before this Tallboy attack on it........!

[Simpo Two]

aeropilot said:

Its was hit by two Tallboys, but the one that hit between A and B turrets didn't explode.

You would think, wouldn't you, that given the fantastic amount of effort, man hours, skill and risk it took to make the bomb, make the aircraft, train the crew and send them off in peril - that someone would make sure the bloody bombs worked properly!

[Yertis]

Simpo Two said:

You would think, wouldn't you, that given the fantastic amount of effort, man hours, skill and risk it took to make the bomb, make the aircraft, train the crew and send them off in peril - that someone would make sure the bloody bombs worked properly!

They should have been tested before they left the factory.