Shock tactics to destroy torpedoes

[Rickg]

Here is a link to an interesting article.

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18825205.800&feedId=online-news_rss20

If this becomes reality I think it is a "slam dunk" that the lives of a ship's crew is worth more than marine life no matter how much I like to see marine life while diving.

Rickg

 

[archman]

Yeah, the military is already getting the 3rd degree over their funky new sonars. But when push comes to shove, the military gets priority. Best thing to hope for is restricting non-wartime use to special areas. That's how weapons training usually works. "Active" defensive systems often rate as weapons themselves.

 

[Wristshot]

One has to wonder how much worse the shock waves are from the torpedo busting devices as compared to the shock waves from the actual detonation of the torpedoes if the strike their targets, and also the shock waves from secondary explosions within the ship. While I would not condone devices that are destructive to nature, devices that save lives are (in general) a good idea.

Perhaps they need to find non-damaging methods of driving whales out of an area before they perform lage scale tests of such devices.

One also has to wonder how much more damage would be done to the environment by having a ship full of contaminents sinking in the ocean. Just rambling thoughts.


Wristshot.

 

[archman]

One has to wonder how much worse the shock waves are from the torpedo busting devices as compared to the shock waves from the actual detonation of the torpedoes if the strike their targets, and also the shock waves from secondary explosions within the ship.

I don't believe most people would be against wartime application. It's all the training practice. Weapons training is typically a couple orders of magnitude greater than actual wartime use.

 

[Rickg]

Yeah, the military is already getting the 3rd degree over their funky new sonars. But when push comes to shove, the military gets priority. Best thing to hope for is restricting non-wartime use to special areas. That's how weapons training usually works. "Active" defensive systems often rate as weapons themselves.

That is what the Navy is doing with their LFA sonar. There are only designated ocean areas where the LFA can be operated and prior to operation they first operate a marine mammal detection sonar to see if there are any whales within the immediate area. If there are then they are not allowed operate the LFA system.

Rickg

 

[riddler]

If this becomes reality I think it is a "slam dunk" that the lives of a ship's crew is worth more than marine life no matter how much I like to see marine life while diving.

I think our opinions are irrelevant. The US Navy isn't going to politely ask us if they can test this. If the technology exists, they probably already have and will continue to test it, despite what we think.

 

[archman]

I think our opinions are irrelevant. The US Navy isn't going to politely ask us if they can test this. If the technology exists, they probably already have and will continue to test it, despite what we think.

If they get harassed enough by the public, the congressman complain and the military usually accomodates. In peacetime, the public interest can be deadly. In this the military is an improvement over most large corporations.

 

[DavidPT40]

Whys the Navy so worried about torpedos? Last time one of our ships was torpedoed was 1945.

 

[D_B]

Because others have torpedos, there a fast, effective ship killer, hard to jam and accurate (wire guided)

"Last time one of our ships was torpedoed was 1945." ... so thats a reason not to protect the ships from a weapon that exists today ???

DB

 

[Wristshot]

It's all the training practice. Weapons training is typically a couple orders of magnitude greater than actual wartime use.

Hence my comment about clearing the area prior to large scale testing.

Now we just need better defenses against anti-ship missiles, and then against suicide boats as those are possibly the biggest current threats against ships.

Wait, no . . Economics is the biggest current threat but that would be a different thread entirely.

W