A German V2 rocket from World War II has been found nose down in the mud flats at Harwich Harbour. BBC News - German V2 rocket found in Harwich Harbour
Thanks for the link to this story. Fascinating. I hope the rocket can made safe and kept intact as it would be great to see it up close. It's been quite a day for finding evidence of Wernher von Braun's handiwork... BBC News - Amazon boss Jeff Bezos 'finds Apollo 11 Moon engines'
Heard this on the radio this afternoon, Nordhausen sprang to mind and the sight of this unexpected piece of "lost property" awaiting the attention of the ATO's. As long as no one is hurt in dealing with it.
It looks to be just the combustion chamber, a common enough piece of debris from an air-burst V2 and there used to be a goodly number of them on East Coast mudflats. I'd say the chance of there being anything left to go 'bang' is somewhere less than zero.
It looks to be just the combustion chamber, a common enough piece of debris from an air-burst V2 and there used to be a goodly number of them on East Coast mudflats. I'd say the chance of there being anything left to go 'bang' is somewhere less than zero. Andy, I was only aware that the V2 exploded on contact with the ground. Travelling around 3000 mph on impact, nothing was heard until the explosion. Is there any information available on Air Burst explosions of the V2? Regards Tom
Hello Tom appears to have been a problem. Airburst problem Through mid-March 1944, only 4 of the 26 successful Blizna launches had satisfactorily reached the Sarnaki target area[26]:112, 221–222, 282 due to in-flight breakup (Luftzerleger) on entry into the atmosphere.[30]:100 Initially excessive alcohol tank pressure was suspected, and by April 1944 after 5 months of test firings, the cause was still not determined. Major-General Rossmann, the Army Weapons Office department chief, recommended stationing observers in the target area – cMay/June, Walter Dornberger and Wernher von Braun set up a camp at the centre of the Poland target zone.[2]: After moving to the Heidekraut,[13]:172,173 SS Mortar Battery 500 of the 836th Artillery Battalion (Motorized) was ordered[26]:47 on 30 August[25] to begin test launches of eighty 'sleeved' rockets.[15]:281 Testing confirmed the so-called 'tin trousers' – a tube designed to strengthen the forward end of the rocket cladding—reduced the likelihood of airbursts.[30]:100 V-2 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clive, Thanks for that. I was thinking more that there was a device to detonate at a certain height, which I had never read about. Technical problems and sabotage I can understand. Regards Tom
