Underwater fighting

[Nemrod]

Silly hypothetical question:

Say a blue country went to war with a red country. And two navy divers from opposing sides met each other underwater; how do they fight each other?

Do they even do so? Is the fabulous 'Thunderball' scene just fantasy?

Well, I cannot speak for red vs blue but if a fellow with DIR scissors and a butter knife attacked me underwater with my vintage 14 inch long razor sharp Sea Hawk, his time would be limited on this earth, just saying, game over . It is not a tool, it is a weapon.

N

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Well, I cannot speak for red vs blue but if a fellow with DIR scissors and a butter knife attacked me underwater with my vintage 14 inch long razor sharp Sea Hawk, his time would be limited on this earth, just saying, game over . It is not a tool, it is a weapon.

N

In addition to a small knife, I might add for all you Hog loopers out there, that hose wrapped around your neck sure makes for a great weapon to be used against yourself.

 

[redacted]

yet how would a combustion occur, or the powder ignite with no oxygen, and the vaccum of space, it can't happen. I don't think...?

Just like rocket motors in space, the fuel (powder) does not need an outside source of oxygen to support combustion.

 

[Rhone Man]

I can't recall its name, but someone published a book recently about early Navy frogmen, particularly from the WW2 era.

I seem to recall that their main tactic was to lure the other frogmen deeper, where they would black out due to O2 toxicity (British used a 50% O2 mix, whereas the Axis frogmen used 100% O2).

 

[Guba]

Wouldn't surprise me the way they train.
(see the video link in post #30)

And I don't think it would be wise to hassle that drill sergeant about his split fins, either.

 

[Herk_Man]

I find myself curiously drawn into this ridiculous topic. I can't believe I'm even taking the time to type this. But it has to be said because nobody else has pointed out the obvious answer. Anyone that has seen the documentary, Austin Powers, knows that the solution to underwater combat is...









Sharks, with laser beams on their heads! :lurk2:

 

[Nemrod]

In addition to a small knife, I might add for all you Hog loopers out there, that hose wrapped around your neck sure makes for a great weapon to be used against yourself.

Yeah, grab'm by the Hog loop and unsheathe the blade. N

 

[covediver]

Hmmm. Maybe I'll start the first underwater fight club. Anyone interested in joining?

The first rule of Underwater Fight Club is you do not pee in your wetsuit.

you don't have to start an underwater fight club...Southern California already has a couple, aka underwater hockey (not really, it just looks like it sometimes).

 

[Nemrod]

yet how would a combustion occur, or the powder ignite with no oxygen, and the vacuum of space, it can't happen. I don't think...?

Gunpowder is a mixture of sulfur, potassium nitrate (saltpeter) and charcoal. Of course modern firearm propellants are not black powder but the reason we call it a "propellant" is that the mixture contains both a fuel and an oxidizer. A propellant mixture will burn in a vacuum, otherwise a rocket engine would be in big trouble. A Saturn V engine burned liquid hydrogen (fuel) and LOX (liquid oxygen as the oxidizer) to provide the initial boost for our trip to the moon. Last time I checked, there is no oxygen on the moon. N

 

[Guba]

Gunpowder is a mixture of sulfur, potassium nitrate (saltpeter) and charcoal. Of course modern firearm propellants are not black powder but the reason we call it a "propellant" is that the mixture contains both a fuel and an oxidizer.


Black powder is, indeed, made up of the three ingredients listed. However, if you specify that a "propellent" is one that contains a "fuel" and an oxidizer, then black powder is most definitely one. Potassium nitrate (KNO3) is a strong oxidizer and, therefore, black powder will burn quite nicely both in a vacuum and underwater (provided you keep your powder dry!).