Hello All, Some of you may have seen previous posts and requests for information in supprts of a scuba diving project I have been running looking at the wreck of an LCT about 4 miles off Selsey Bill (thread :...LCT(A) specifications). I have just posted an update on what has been a successful survey with regard to the LCT and it's link to some Centaur CS IV tanks and Armoured D7 bulldozers at another wrecksite about 3 miles away. What we didn't expect to find on the wrecksite was a large bomb and having contacted the Coastguard they put me in touch with the RN bomb disposal team. Their view, who having looked at some of the photographs taken of the bomb has indicated that it may be a 250lb German arial bomb. It appears to be a complete coincidence that it is at the wrecksite and is unlikely to be part of the sinking of the LCT. I'll post some photos as soon as I can, but in the interim, I wonder if anyone can provide me with some information about this type of bomb, and perhaps what type of aircraft would have carried it? In the meantime the Coastguard have placed a ban on diving and fishing activities in the vascinity of the wreck and are warning mariners to stay away - and as a result I'm not very popular with Selsey fishermen. The RN bomb disposal team will carry out a detailed examination and are likely to 'deal with it' in due course. Grateful for any assistance/information you can offer. Cheers
Ali, Please don't mistalke me for an expert - this is simply something I had lying around. The manual it's from does not mention the Germans having a 100kg bomb (~250lb). The dimensions of the 250kg are quite close to what you reported on your earlier thread. Another possibility is that it is an Allied bomb that was jettisoned by a returning bomber that didn't find a target. I don't know how much effort the RN will put into identifying the bomb before they dispose of it. Lets just hope they don't detonate the bomb in situ...
Ali, Thanks for the update and glad that you are all ok. It just shows the dangers faced by divers like yourself. Lets just hope that the bomb can be made safe rather than exploded in situ, which would be a disaster in itself. Regards Tom
Hi Idler, Thank you for the info, and thumbnail. Unfortunately it's too small to read the detail, do you think you could upload a larger version please? Thanks again
Thanks guys, Here's a link to a report of the bomb & LCT with images of the wreck and bomb. (that's me in the pictures - looking slightly nervous!) BSAC club find unexploded bomb - DIVE Latest News Regards
Ali, Thanks for the link and I am sure that you would not catch me in that position Measuring the bomb I think a rep is appropriate. Regards Tom
Is it a caption competition? If so, I'm going with: "Does my bomb look big in this?" Ali, right click on the thumbnail and 'Save target as...' saves it at its full (~800 x ~600) size - for me, anyway. Now, stand back, I'm going to try to blow it up: http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachments/other-research/19489d1250795661-german-aerial-bombs-250kg-bomb-jpg That seemed to work! Now, looking at your photo, the bomb you've found seems to be much sleeker than mine (no pun intended). I've had a quick look at the Warbirds site linked above and ther isn't a great variety of German 250kg bombs and none of the ones pictured look like yours. It might be one of ours after all. Does anyone know the criteria for jettisoning bombs - would they be dropped unarmed?
This might sound blindingly obvious but if it's really 4' long x 12" diameter then it's most unlikely to be of continental origin. Is it possible to tell the difference between 12" and 30cm in those conditions ? My feeling is also that it looks more British but didn't they usually have a ring round the tail fins ? It is something which can become detached though.
No pictures yet, but here are some specs for British bombs: 50lb, 120lb, 250lb, 500lb General Purpose Bombs The 250lb and 500lb bombs are about the right diameter but the bodies are much shorter and the tail much longer than the 4' measured. It's possible that Ali's bomb has part of the tail casing left, leading to an inbetween measurement?
Hi Ali, If its got a fuse pocket in the side of the bomb its 99% certain its german. if you look at idlers plan of the 250k you can see the fuse pocket. Most allied bombs were nose or tail fuses, armed by a small propeller,after the safe pin was removed,that rotated when dropped. Apart from special bombs. Derek.( ex BD TAVR RE. )
Hi Idler, Thanks for the larger image, and comment about the imperial/metric theory. I'm still puzzled as non of the drawings seem to fit what we have seen. Certainly the fins/tail vanes have long gone but what is left at the back is a very flat surface. That said there is a layers of concretion (a mixture of rust and marine life) and this means you can't necessarily see the detailed shape of the metal. I decided it wouldn't be wize to start chipping away at it with a hammer! I'm waiting for the RN team to get back of summer leave before showing them more images from the wreck site. Cheers
Peter & Dover Marine, Thanks for the additional information. To me the shape at the back looks like the British bomb, but the front looks too stubby, as you can see there appears to be quite a pointed tip. Here's another couple of images. What do you think?
Hi Ali, RCG posted a link that has shed loads of German bombs on it, a browse through the images may bare fruit: www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org - Luftwaffe Resource Center - Bomb Annex
Ali, Having looked through the posts I can't see any dimensions for the bomb. Do you have any like length and diameter? I have a book that claims to have diagrams of all the bomb types dropped on the UK from 39 - 45. Some fit but they are heavier than 250kg. The bombs dimensions would be good if you have them? Cheers Andy
Hi Andy, I measured it to be 48" long and 12" across the base (the 2 dimensions you can see me measuring in the photos). A couple of other divers in the team also took metric measurements 1.250m long, diameter 0.320m wide at base. They also have another measurement of 0.90m which seems to be from the base to the point where it starts to narrow. Does that help?