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Old 01-16-2020, 01:46 PM   #9
The Colonel
 
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Default Re: Depth Charges & Fire Barrels

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth View Post
Depending on one's sources it may not be obvious, but depth charges are not (and never were) weapons used against surface targets. They're anti-submarine bombs. Some video games will have you try to blow up boats or ships with them, and that might be technically possible but it's incredibly impractical and wildly off-purpose.
I've heard rumors that various torpedo boat forces developed a technique of running directly across the bows of a larger target and dropping a depth charge set to minimum depth so that it exploded as their opponent ran over it. I've never heard of it actually being used in combat - a few surface vessels have been sunk by depth charges, but in almost all cases, they came from the same vessel they sank.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth View Post
I don't think the video game staple of mines that are hastily dropped to deter or damage a close pursuit, as opposed to mines that are laid in advance to block areas or cause damage to non-specific future passers-by, has much real existence in history. (Though I think I've seen listings for an infantry model. Probably never actually used.).
The only infantry anti-pursuit mines that I've heard of being used are essentially regular mines that you lay on your back trail … although I think the US had a funky self deploying one. Possibly there may have been an occasion where warships laid mines to deter pursuit - IIRC either Beatty or Jellicoe was convinced the Germans had trained their scout cruisers to do this and trained against crossing their wakes if it could be avoided. Also I don't know if Kolchack ever actually did that thing from the opening of The Admiral … but if so that was a minefield he was laying anyway.
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