Seriously, that guy needs a big pair of spectacles. Missing such a huge target by so little ! And with such a large explosion...

Imagine, if they actually HIT the carrier and blew it up... the maniacs !
 
That whale had serious intestinal problems... awesome video, really. Damn, 40 000 pounds of high explosives ! Is there any relation whatsoever with the largest Soviet / Russian antiship missiles ? or with the "mother of all bombs" in Russia and America ?
 
That whale had serious intestinal problems... awesome video, really. Damn, 40 000 pounds of high explosives ! Is there any relation whatsoever with the largest Soviet / Russian antiship missiles ? or with the "mother of all bombs" in Russia and America ?
It's nearly double the total weight of the MOAB (21,600 pounds) and more than double the explosive weight of the MOAB (40,000 pounds vs "only" 18,700). If my math is right, and I'm dealing with a head cold so it may not be, the explosion at of by the USN is only something like .02 kilotons. So far larger than the biggest conventional weapons, and far smaller than all but a handful of nukes (the SADM is about the only I could think of smaller with a yield of about .01KT).
 
I think shock testing uses such huge amounts to duplicate a much smaller, more local explosion (a torpedo or mine). In order to duplicate the shockwave of such an event without actually penetrating the hull, very large explosions much further away are used.
 
Here is a Study on shock Testing in general
 

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I have to admit, when I first learned about shock testing, I was kinda like 'you got to be shitting me', especially the fact sailors are actually based on board the target ship.

Do other navies go through this process? I tried searching for any relevant tests and documents a few times and have never turned anything up, but I assume this isn't strictly a USN practice?
 
I have to admit, when I first learned about shock testing, I was kinda like 'you got to be shitting me', especially the fact sailors are actually based on board the target ship.

Do other navies go through this process? I tried searching for any relevant tests and documents a few times and have never turned anything up, but I assume this isn't strictly a USN practice?
There's actually a NATO standard for shock testing, STANAG 4137. The Danes were quite chuffed when their frigates, which use a lot of commercial design and build elements, aced their 4137 rating.

The CVN shock trial program is usually quite a bit more rigorous than the standard.
 
Meh. Pretty normal, all things considered. It sounds like a bigger issue then what it really is
 
damn, as politicians Ford already took parts from Kennedy and now as carriers, Ford is still taking parts from Kennedy :p
 
 
Did the results of the shock trials ever make it to print?
IIRC, the CO of the Ford said that he was very pleased with the results and that the ship suffered only minor (and apparently from the comments made, expected) damage. But the ship remained combat ready after all of them
 
Did the results of the shock trials ever make it to print?
IIRC, the CO of the Ford said that he was very pleased with the results and that the ship suffered only minor (and apparently from the comments made, expected) damage. But the ship remained combat ready after all of them

Hopefully we can have some substantiative & quantitative analysis of what he considers "minor damage".
 
Captain said no fires and no flooding. After the final blast ship made a 20 knot run. A few days later she did high speed runs, and verified that launch and recovery systems suffered no major casualties, etc. Interestingly, the last time they ran these tests on a carrier was 34 years ago on the Roosevelt. I suspect the reason for this was they felt when you've blasted one Nimitz, you've blasted them all.
 
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Captain said no fires and no flooding. After the final blast ship made a 20 knot run. A few days later she did high speed runs, and verified that launch and recovery systems suffered no major causalties, etc. Interestingly, the last etime they ran these tests on a carrier was 34 years ago on the Roosevelt. I suspect the reason for this was they felt when you've seen one Nimitz, you've seen them all.
That is generally how it goes with these tests.

They will only test one ship of the class and let it be it since all the ships are to be built to the same exacting standard.
Did the results of the shock trials ever make it to print?
IIRC, the CO of the Ford said that he was very pleased with the results and that the ship suffered only minor (and apparently from the comments made, expected) damage. But the ship remained combat ready after all of them

Hopefully we can have some substantiative & quantitative analysis of what he considers "minor damage".
HAH I dont thing we have EVER gotten that for these tests for any ship not launch nearly 80 years ago... For obvouis reasons the navy keeps this type of test results very close to its tests.
 
Normally, the US Navy does not provide shock test detailed results/findings at the ship level. I would assume other nations would do the same involving critical type testing such this. Most shock testing details or videos were released at the station/components level based upon shock barge testing.
 
Such a great picture.

YJ2I7FAS5ZCGHOCPVSAMKSWV5U.jpg
 
You know, looking at this picture reminds me of a big vulnerability we have: There's only one drydock in the world wnere a RICOH on a CVN can be performed. It's not the dock where they build them, that one's smaller. Can you say "prime target"?
 
You know, looking at this picture reminds me of a big vulnerability we have: There's only one drydock in the world wnere a RICOH on a CVN can be performed. It's not the dock where they build them, that one's smaller. Can you say "prime target"?
Two isn't any harder to hit than one. Not saying I think it's a great situation but nobody's gonna pony up the dough for even one more site. One on each coast would be ideal. (Bremerton and Norfolk.)
 
You know, looking at this picture reminds me of a big vulnerability we have: There's only one drydock in the world wnere a RICOH on a CVN can be performed. It's not the dock where they build them, that one's smaller. Can you say "prime target"?
Two isn't any harder to hit than one. Not saying I think it's a great situation but nobody's gonna pony up the dough for even one more site. One on each coast would be ideal. (Bremerton and Norfolk.)
Techically Bremerton CAN do RICOH, they do and did work with the other nuke ships like the Subs and the Cruisers in the past when we had them slash did refueling on them.

As far as I know the gear, if not experaince is still there, we just dont use it as such cause of everyone favorite six letter word.

BUDGET.
 

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