ah, nothing like stealing high explosives...

[mikerault]

Depending on the explosive used some get very unstable when they dry if they got wetted...even more than just age related instability. Not to mention the primers and detonators get a bit dodgy. Maybe it will take care of itself and them with it. Hope it doesn't take out any innocents..

 

[adurso]

Yeah, but think how neat it will look mounted over the fireplace

This may sound horrible, but I actually thought of it on my dock on a launch rack pointed at the river proper where the "no wake" violators come through.....

 

[SnakeRiverPirate]

I think some folks are working towards their Darwin Award.

 

[DennisS]

Did the German WW II torpedos run on Otto fuel, that could be pretty unstable by now

 

[mikerault]

The fuel probably isn't an issue, it was probably electrical:

From: http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WTGER_Notes.htm

World War II Torpedoes

During World War II, submarines generally carried electric motor torpedoes, as these made little noise and were essentially wakeless. Surface ships did not use these as it was felt that the shock of the torpedo hitting the water would rupture the batteries. Instead, surface ships used wet-heater engines notable for using Decalin (decahydronaphthalene) instead of kerosene for fuel. Much research was performed upon hydrogen peroxide fuels during World War II, but no torpedo using this fuel ever entered service.

World War II Torpedoes

SW18: 50% TNT, 24% HND, 15% Aluminum
SW36: 67% TNT, 8% HND, 25% Aluminum
SW39: 45% TNT, 5% HND, 30% Amonium Nitrate, 20% Aluminum
SW39a: 50% TNT, 10% HND, 5% Amonium Nitrate, 35 % Aluminum

HND = Hexanitrodiphenylamine.

 

[Tigerman]

If this isnt just a big fat lie, I dont think those guys fully realize the seriousness of what they did. There is a reason why there are trained professionals handeling such things. Its also a reason why the SOP is to blow these things up where they are, if possible rather than bringing it back to the shack in the back yard..
If it was taken from a wreck, it might not be very convenient to blow it up where it was, but there are procedures to safely deal with those situations as well.
As far as the explosives being unstable, I wouldnt exactly drop that thing from a height, despite it possibly not being armed, for several different reasons..

The legal aspect of this is, as far as I see it, in the bigger picture NOT an issue. The safety of anyone within a couple of blocks of this device however is..

 

[underwasser bolt]

i smell a troll

bring up a 60 year old torpedo? nuts.

 

[OBXDIVEGUY]

no, no troll. Granted, I haven't seen the alleged torpedo, but that is what some shmuck claimed to have helped salvage. Ordinarily, I'd blow this off as garbage, but I know of problems this particular group has caused in the past. I can confirm lots of munitions have illegally made it to the surface off of the NC wrecks to include mortar rounds and depth charges.

 

[Tigerman]

no, no troll. Granted, I haven't seen the alleged torpedo, but that is what some shmuck claimed to have helped salvage. Ordinarily, I'd blow this off as garbage, but I know of problems this particular group has caused in the past. I can confirm lots of munitions have illegally made it to the surface off of the NC wrecks to include mortar rounds and depth charges.

Ok, if this is so, those guys are dangerous, not only to themselves but to their enviroment and they need to be stopped...
This sounds like a very serious accident about to happen, hopefully not resulting any any damage to innocents..

 

[OBXDIVEGUY]

Just to clarify, (well, I guess I never bothered to mention) YES, authorities have been notified. My immediate response to the person that told me this story was to tell him to report it, and they already did, and I gave him more contacts to report it to. Things are rolling on the fed's end.