Always fascinating to see a SINKEX, particularly the weapons used.

This is from the most recent RIMPAC exercise

In Iran, they just flip it over.

Nice waterline hits. Were there more than 2?

The interesting part is how they just don't sink when hit, takes quite a bit of work to get these warships to go under...

For example 2016 USS Thatch, first a missle into the mid ship, then the torpedo hit at 2 min, lifted the whole front out of the water but didn't put it under, the damage under the bow is massive....you can view the full damage it did around 3 min mark from the opposite side....




Link to original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...&feature=emb_rel_end

An empty ship, with all its hatches closed with all explosives and flammables removed, you pretty much have a bobbing cork in the water. Then you hit it with a torpedo...

Real world, you just need to get a mission kill to render the ship useless in the battle space. As we saw with the Bonhomme Richard in San Diego, get a ship board fire going and all attention will be shifted to putting it out and saving the ship.

I seem to recall reading somewhere (maybe here) that modern torpedoes don't usually impact the ship, they explode underneath it so the cavitation(?) bubble basically causes the ship to break its own back, so to speak. It that accurate?

quote:

It that accurate?

yes. if everything goes right

shock wave and then repeated expansions and relaxations

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Originally posted by sdy:

quote:

It that accurate?

yes. if everything goes right

shock wave and then repeated expansions and relaxations

Well it certainly worked on the USS Thatch....

dang thing deployed its own smoke screen

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In actuality, they detonate in proximity to its intended target. Proximity fused torpedoes actually damage a ship in three waves.
First, the torpedo detonates under the target’s hull. The pressure of the detonation creates a giant bubble under the ship. As this bubble rises, it lifts the ship out of water placing huge stress on the hull.
Secondly, once the bubble finally dissipates, the ship then begins to settle back into the void left behind by the bubble. Still supported by the bow and the stern that remain outside the void, the center of the hull sags into the void. This causes the hull to experience intense pressure from gravity.
Lastly, water rushes in to fill the void. This surge of water flows into the void then upwards, creating an intense geyser. The ship, already experiencing sagging effect, is then lifted up for a second time.
Damaged by an upward explosion and then further damaged by a sagging effect, the hull is then finished off by a massive surge of water pushing up into the underside of the ship. This method of damaging a ship is severe enough to break the back or keel of a ship. This would almost guarantee the destruction of a warship. Even those that escape destruction are certainly to have been severely damaged or crippled.

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInWV:
I seem to recall reading somewhere (maybe here) that modern torpedoes don't usually impact the ship, they explode underneath it so the cavitation(?) bubble basically causes the ship to break its own back, so to speak. It that accurate?

Is the black smoke from the ships fuel burning?
I thought that for environmental reasons it would not contain fuel.

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Originally posted by scsigs:
Is the black smoke from the ships fuel burning?
I thought that for environmental reasons it would not contain fuel.

Ships set for destruction or for making a reef are stripped of all things environmentally damaging. There was no fuel aboard. The black smoke is from the missiles. The navy does these to see how long a ship completely dogged down (Condition Zebra)will take damage before it sinks. When they are gonna make a reef. All the stuff a diver could be caught in is removed, including quick acting water tight doors throughout the ship. Those sink quickly, and typically are scuttled by using charges on the hull at the keel so that the ship sinks evenly and rests upright.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MikeinNC,

What is the bubble made of? Steam made from the heat of the explosion?

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Originally posted by Skull Leader:
What is the bubble made of? Steam made from the heat of the explosion?

I would guess it would be mostly gasses from the explosion. Similar to how the gasses from gunpowder fire a bullet. The charge itself creates the gas.
I’m sure there is steam, but not enough to make a difference.

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Originally posted by Skull Leader:
What is the bubble made of? Steam made from the heat of the explosion?

A war shot MK48 torpedo has a warhead of 650lbs of explosive...that’s a big blast that leaves a huge open hole of gasses under the ship leading the a broken keel as others have mentioned.

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInWV:
I seem to recall reading somewhere (maybe here) that modern torpedoes don't usually impact the ship, they explode underneath it so the cavitation(?) bubble basically causes the ship to break its own back, so to speak. It that accurate?

I'm glad it works now because in WWII, the MK14 torpedo with it's magnetic exploder didn't work worth a damn (and we won't even mention the contact exploder problems or the fact they ran too deep.)

The damage from the missile hit was pretty severe in of itself. The footage of the flight deck all buckled speaks volumes to this.

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Originally posted by mo4040:
The damage from the missile hit was pretty severe in of itself. The footage of the flight deck all buckled speaks volumes to this.

The shock of the torpedo's effect is whipped through the hull, resulting in bulkheads and decks throughout out the ship getting blown-out and warped. Can only imagine the effect on the crew as they rattle around like a pebble inside a empty soda can.

quote:

Originally posted by JoseyWales2:

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInWV:
I seem to recall reading somewhere (maybe here) that modern torpedoes don't usually impact the ship, they explode underneath it so the cavitation(?) bubble basically causes the ship to break its own back, so to speak. It that accurate?

I'm glad it works now because in WWII, the MK14 torpedo with it's magnetic exploder didn't work worth a damn (and we won't even mention the contact exploder problems or the fact they ran too deep.)

WWII ended 75-years ago, there's been some improvements since

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
WWII ended 75-years ago, there's been some improvements since

Yes, I know that and I can count too.
Perhaps I was being a little sarcastic by commenting that they finally got it to work after all this time.
But also somewhat seriously, in that time and time again, we forget the hard lessons learned and fall into the trap of trusting the technology maybe a little too much sometimes without realistic testing. Then when the shooting starts, things don't work under realistic conditions or the ROE doesn't allow it to be used. Then we see a rush to implement low tech solutions as a stop gap. We see it every time and it applies to all forces, land, sea and air.

quote:

The shock of the torpedo's effect is whipped through the hull, resulting in bulkheads and decks throughout out the ship getting blown-out and warped. Can only imagine the effect on the crew as they rattle around like a pebble inside a empty soda can.

Its not a fun ride.
I was on USS Princeton CG-59 when we had a mine go off under us. The whole ship shook for a good 60 seconds, I didn't think it would ever stop. Like you said it was like taking a soda can and bending it back and forth. Decks were warped, hatches were stuck open or closed. Bulkheads cracked like someone had taken a giant can opener and opened the ship up. Fire mains, chill water lines...anything that carried fluid broke open causing flooding. A 2nd mine went off along side us causing the ship to roll back and forth twisting the metal in a different direction......We were in pretty shallow water which caused the shock waves to bounce off the ocean floor and then back up to hit the ship again