BONUS PARK BENCH: https://youtu.be/AhqNMb0fOJU — In the Thames Estuary, near a town called Sheerness, a few dozen miles east of London, lies a World …
source
BONUS PARK BENCH: https://youtu.be/AhqNMb0fOJU — In the Thames Estuary, near a town called Sheerness, a few dozen miles east of London, lies a World …
source
Holy shit! Your on Sheppey! I was born and bread there! As an islander (only moving away for uni and now work) I've always been fascinated by the ship, but it's always interested me how everyone is just willing to leave it, like "it's not doing us any harm now, and if it dose go off… Well that's going to be over quickly" – Is that a healthy mind set?
Man, I'd say it's too dangerous to leave alone and detonate it in a controlled manner, but that sounds far too dangerous for all the surrounding towns. Doesn't it?
On the plus side : there won't be nuclear fallout if it explodes. So there's that I guess…
I live within 10 minutes of Sheerness. If that thing goes off it'll shatter all windows for miles. Including mine, so please don't set it off. It'd be expensive for me…
Are the explosives fused? Even AOE vessels don't travel with fused munitions. However things happen.
I would be more worried of any fuzes in the wreck. Secondary explosives are usually not the problem, it's the primaries that you have to watch out for.
I am making two assumptions here: assumption 1 – they were using a lead azide based primary, assumption 2 – there is copper near the lead azide
Lead azide is a primary explosive, meaning that it is shock, heat, and friction sensitive. However, it's not too sensitive, meaning that it is a popular material to use in low voltage or percussion detonators. However, if it is in close proximity to copper and water gets in contact with them both they will react to form lead metal and copper azide. Copper azide is a heartless bitch, and is so sensitive that its sensitivity cannot be measured. Hey, at least it's under water, right?
It would not surprise me if quite a bit of the secondary explosives were gone by now. Fish will eat secondary explosives, or at least they will eat RDX and HMX. It is wonderfully calorically dense, though the tolulene/benzene structures of a large number of secondary explosives is typically toxic, at least to people.
As far as I know RDX/HMX are not toxic. They were extensively used by the French resistance during the war, who would conceal the explosive powder in bread (it is somewhat heat insensitive and will usually burn if not confined). If the Germans caught on to them, they'd just eat the bread, explosives and all. By that point in the war, most aerial bombs were using RDX/HMX explosives as DuPont had come up with a continuous process and was churning out tens of thousands of tons of the stuff each month and you can get more yield from an RDX fill.
I feel like there should be a camera on this at all times… just in case.
Its good if it explodes because it will get rid of Sheppey. What a shithole that is
You mention that it would be the largest non-nuclear explosion ever. What about some of the World War One Tunnel Explosions, at least one of which was heard in London. Also, at least one of those tunnel bombs was never detonated, because the Germans found out about it and broke into the tunnel before it was detonated. As far as they know, it's still active. Another large explosion occurred at an Ammunition Plant somewhere in Britain (England?) during World War Two (?, could have been One) that is equally still dangerous.
Small pleasure boats ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Quit being a pussy and just blow it up.
I think it's unlikely bombs would be transported with fuses installed, or even in the same part of the ship. That was normally done by the armourer as the bombs were got ready for loading.
There is a story in Brickhill's "The Dam Busters" where an armourer had just loaded some bombs into a lancaster, and the release circuit tripped causing the bombs to fall off. Everyone leaped into vehicles and cleared the scene. One jeep was overtaken by an terrified armourer on a bicycle.
Nothing went off. I suspect that, even though the release went, the arming power in the aircraft was switched off.
Million to one chances crop up nine times out of ten.
Very interesting, love your videos. random and unrelated, I would love to see you on QI. just to see how you would score. as you are quite interesting
It may be good for constipated people to live nearby! Every lorry going over a grate would loosen them up a bit!
Very interesting report
the moment he said that sth might go wrong i was just thinking what if it goes wrong during the video …. i am a horrible person
You're confusing a 50 Mega-ton bomb with a 50 ton bomb. The TSAR Bomba had 35700 times more power than all the ordnance aboard this ship.
1400 tons is still enough for a good size (4.5 on Richter-scale) earthquake.
Actual Journalism… We don't get that nowadays and it is no surprise that one has popped up on youtube as it is user driven.
The Temm's what now?