BIIIGGG bomb - what's TMH doing about it ?

[robgraham]

[ARWadsworth]

saying "This is going to gost you mate"

[dennis]

It would take a lot of work to blow the thing up in one go and I doubt if anyone has done the work. However i think it would make a good place for community service to be done.

[The Natural Philosopher]

[The Medway Handyman]

[The Medway Handyman]

It would take out Sheerness, so not all bad.

[Bob Eager]

Everyone round here knows about it!

[Bob Eager]

[Ron Lowe]

seriously in that time and environment, and that makes it less likely to explode in a 'high-order' manner.

Even when fresh, secondary explosives like RDX and HMX require

*substantial* energy imparted into them to go high-order. Like a detonator containing primary explosive ( eg lead azide ), or an EBW detonator. In simple terms, it takes a *big whack* to initiate these explosives, even when fresh.

Trying to set them off with insufficient energy ( like a cigarette lighter with a bunch of RDX in your shoe ) will result in it going low-order ( basically just burning for a bit, before fizzling out. )

I'd say the risk of that boat going high-order are close to nill.

[Andy Champ]

On the other hand a thousand foot wide column of mud and debris tossed a couple of miles into the air seems rather more significant. I wonder if there's a typo?

Ah. A FIVE metre high wave. Still not exactly devastating, but probably more than you usually get in the Thames. Might be worth setting it off at low tide.

Incidentally there seems to be only one source for the estimated explosion size. They all match too neatly.

Andy

[Hugh Jampton]

I did - a long time ago :-( Must have been in the 70's. We left the Medway one winters night in my "friend's" yacht heading for France (we did that many times). Missed seeing the Mongomery that night - it was dark and a gale blowing :-(

Gave up in the end - it was terrible :-( Turned around and headed back to the Medway. Took this photo on the way back just after dawn :-

Don't do things like that anymore :-)

[Tim Streater]

Or, after the sucking noise: "Not much call for that round here, Squire".

[Peter Parry]

If anyone wants it disposing of quickly and cheaply simply post a (simple) map showing were it is at Dale Farm.

[djc]

I assume they have just added up all the explosive material and assumed it all goes up in ONE BIG BANG! Which isn't very likely, especially after 67 years.

[Ron Lowe]

BTW, just for the LOLz:

It's been pointed out several times that this group seems to have people who are expert in *anything*.

Just for the record, yes, there is at least one Explosives engineer in the group :-)

And no, sadly, I won't be able to supply 'offcuts' of primacord , or 'spare' detonators or 'unused' shape charges!

I do post under my real name, and don't want a visit from dark-suited individuals. Also my employer has strict accounting procedures for explosive materials!

[Davey]

No, put rioters there, and they would steal the useful stuff and leave everything else behind.

[dennis]

Pikeys, they would steal the metal and melt it down.

[Davey]

Well, that would at least get rid of the shipping hazard.

[Frank Erskine]

What's a "Sheerness"?

[Frank Erskine]

Pretty obviously :-)