Dambusters: Building the Bouncing Bomb
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Torpedo versus Bomb
The torpedo would of course have been caught by torpedo nets but would not have necessarily hit too high against the armoured belt. It could be set to run at an appropriate depth and even explode underneath the target.
The 18 inch torpedo Mark XII, an 18-inch-diameter (460 mm) model weighedg 1,548 pounds (702 kg) with an explosive charge of 388 pounds (176 kg) of trinitrotoluene (TNT).
The Upkeep on the other hand was and its overall weight was 1,280 pounds (581 kg), of which 600 pounds (272 kg) was Torpex.
The power to weight was clearly better. The bomb speed in the bounce compared with the speed of the torpedo in water would also be considerably greater which meant it could also have had a greater degree of success against a target underway.
The torpedo could also have directional problems whereas the highball, if launched in the right direction would probably have been more accurate.
The 18 inch torpedo Mark XII, an 18-inch-diameter (460 mm) model weighedg 1,548 pounds (702 kg) with an explosive charge of 388 pounds (176 kg) of trinitrotoluene (TNT).
The Upkeep on the other hand was and its overall weight was 1,280 pounds (581 kg), of which 600 pounds (272 kg) was Torpex.
The power to weight was clearly better. The bomb speed in the bounce compared with the speed of the torpedo in water would also be considerably greater which meant it could also have had a greater degree of success against a target underway.
The torpedo could also have directional problems whereas the highball, if launched in the right direction would probably have been more accurate.
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Interesting, thanks for that correction
Since my last post I've found a couple of online anecdotes to the effect that the dummy Highballs used against Malaya were actually able to punch a hole through her armour simply due to force of impact and resulted in her taking water and listing considerably.
Can't have been a happy experience for the ships crew (even if she was on reserve / skeleton manned)
Since my last post I've found a couple of online anecdotes to the effect that the dummy Highballs used against Malaya were actually able to punch a hole through her armour simply due to force of impact and resulted in her taking water and listing considerably.
Can't have been a happy experience for the ships crew (even if she was on reserve / skeleton manned)
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November4: My reading is the bouncing over the torpedo nets was incidental to the reason for the bomb.
To work as Barnes Wallis calculated, the bomb had to explode at the right depth while in contact with the dam, an accuracy conventional bombing could not hope to achieve.
The backspin caused the bomb to bounce, and at the end of its run, to roll down in contact with the face of the dam, which was why it was so important for it to be released at exactly the right range and height.
To work as Barnes Wallis calculated, the bomb had to explode at the right depth while in contact with the dam, an accuracy conventional bombing could not hope to achieve.
The backspin caused the bomb to bounce, and at the end of its run, to roll down in contact with the face of the dam, which was why it was so important for it to be released at exactly the right range and height.
