Commentary - - Cruise Missile

This is coolbert:

From a comment to the blog concerning the fate of the HMS Sheffield during the Falkland Islands War:

"The modern anti-ship cruise missile is more than adequate for the task of rendering large, important ships useless hulks. I was only a kid, but I remember what an Argentine Exocet did to the HMS Sheffield. It didn't need to be sunk to be put out of action permanantly."

When the Sheffield was struck by the Exocet missile, everyone aboard the ship instantaneously realized there was a terrible problem. And, NOT just from the missile striking the ship, the explosion and the damage caused by same.

Almost within seconds of the Exocet impact, the interior of the Sheffield was contaminated by a cloud of thick, black, acrid, highly poisonous smoke. SMOKE THAT WAS THE RESULT OF TEFLON COATED WIRE ON THE SHIP BEING IGNITED AND BURNED!

[anyone who was worked in electronics and has had to strip the end of an insulated wire to expose the conductor will be aware of electrical wire strippers. Melt and remove the insulation without nicking the wire in any fashion. A very good tool to have at your disposal. BUT A TOOL THAT YOU RECEIVE WITH A WARNING!! DO NOT USE THE ELECTRICAL WIRE STRIPPING TOOL WITH TEFLON COATED WIRE!! YOU WILL BE BREATHING IN POISON GAS!!]

SMOKE SO THICK AND BLACK THAT THOSE ATTEMPTING TO FIGHT THE FIRE COULD NOT SEE THEIR HANDS IN FRONT OF THEIR FACES!!

Teflon coated wire has a lot of advantages from the standpoint of cost, weight, durability, etc. Teflon coated wire was the greatest thing since the proverbial sliced bread, at least in the eyes of the naval architects and engineers. I can imagine that the entire ship contained many miles of teflon coated wire, in all gauges.

But, in combat, possessed [teflon coated wire] a glaring and hideous drawback. Gives off that black, acrid, highly poisonous smoke. NO ONE HAD TAKEN THIS INTO CONSIDERATION!!??

The crew on the Sheffield had no choice but to abandon ship. Fighting the fire on the Sheffield was IMPOSSIBLE. Something further hampered any possible attempts at fighting the fire on the Sheffield. The UNIFORMS THE CREW WORE WERE MADE OF SYNTHETIC MATERIAL. MELT AND ADHERE TO THE SKIN WHEN FIGHTING A FIRE IN CLOSE QUARTERS!! OH MY!!

[Wool. What they need is a wool coverall style overgarment to be put on just prior to going into battle. Wool is the one natural clothing material MOST resistant to fire!!]

One missile [Exocet], one direct hit, one ship out of action, without any amelioration to the situation. The Sheffield was rendered a useless, impotent HULK!! And in a flash too!!

NONE of this had been anticipated by the naval architects and engineers that planned, designed, and saw to the construction of the Sheffield!!??

I CAN WELL IMAGINE, THAT IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE FALKLAND ISLANDS WAR [ISLAS MALVINAS], MANY NAVIES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD HAD TO RETROFIT THEIR WARSHIPS WITH WIRE OTHER THAN THAT OF THE TEFLON COATED VARIETY.

C'est la guerre!!

coolbert.