Alt-history writing project

[Captain Wheelgun]

Here’s another snippet. Questions for the military types. Is my description of a FAE plausible? Did I go too far?

Removed due to upcoming publication of Book 2. See my post on 09/07/2022 for more info.

[Netpackrat]

Not a military type, but it seems to be a stretch that the Republic of Texas would be in the process of perfecting fuel air explosives 3 decades prior to their actual introduction in our timeline. The radar fusing is a bit less of a stretch since that development was employed in WWII. I think if you want to give them a secret weapon, to have actual nukes under development might be more plausible, depending on which scientists they "stole" from Germany. Particularly if some of them went to the US instead during our timeline.

[randy]

The first US FAE weapons were deployed in Vietnam in the 60's and were under development prior to that, and the Germans were working on the concept in WWII, so I don't think it's as much of stretch as all of that, particularly, again, depending on which German engineers and Scientists the Texicans "stole".

Oh, and this is fiction

If you want an interesting tidbit to include in the film footage. I've see footage of a FAE test against a hardened aircraft shelter at White Sands (IIRC, could have been China Lake).

After the blast there was no sign of the bunker. No crater, no debris, nothing. Reviewing the high speed footage, there was one frame where part of the bunker was sticking out of the ground, and had disappeared by the next frame.

They dug down and found the bunger completely underground and pretty much intact. The airplane inside was in good shape, but we considered that a "Mobility Kill".

The blast had caused liquefaction of the ground under the bunker, and it sunk just like you had dropped it in water. Not reliably replicable in the real world, but impressive.

Of course you put that in and someone will throw the BS flag without remembering that reality doesn't have to make sense.

[Captain Wheelgun]

The first US FAE weapons were deployed in Vietnam in the 60's and were under development prior to that, and the Germans were working on the concept in WWII, so I don't think it's as much of stretch as all of that, particularly, again, depending on which German engineers and Scientists the Texicans "stole".

Oh, and this is fiction

If you want an interesting tidbit to include in the film footage. I've see footage of a FAE test against a hardened aircraft shelter at White Sands (IIRC, could have been China Lake).

Snip...

Of course you put that in and someone will throw the BS flag without remembering that reality doesn't have to make sense.

That, plus the fact that grain silos, flour mills, and other places with high flammable dust concentrations had been blowing up with depressing regularity for at least a century before then. The basic phenomenon was well known at that time, only needing the right (or wrong) sort of person to come up with the idea of weaponizing it.

Question: Would the shock waves from one of these going off near a ship possibly transmit through the water? If so would it cause enough damage below the waterline to sink a smaller ship? The Wikipedia article on Thermobaric bombs shows a picture of a test against a ship, but there was no information about what happened.

[Captain Wheelgun]

Actually, a little more digging provided my answer...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_McNulty_(DE-581)

USS McNulty was sunk with a fuel-air bomb 11/16/1972.

Apparently it will work, at least for smaller ships. This bears thinking on...

[randy]

It'll do damage, but keep in mind what's right there on the label "Fuel Air". You are never going to get the full effect of a FAE through shock transmission through water as everything has to take place above the surface of the water for it to work. It will be nothing like the shock damage done by a conventional explosive under water (proximity fused mine or torpedo for example).

I've never seen the actual test results of that incident, and nothing on line is specific enough about damage mechanisms as to what being "sunk" by a FAE means in any technical terms. FAE certainly wasn't mentioned as a primary anti-ship weapon when I was doing it. As you stated a DE is a pretty small warship.

...you don’t sink ships by letting in air,...

Sounds like someone has been talking to some Bubbleheads

[Netpackrat]

Seems like something the Texas Navy could use to capture a French capital ship more or less intact though. Tow it home and set it up as a trophy/museum. I bet that would drive the French absolutely batshit.

[Captain Wheelgun]

It'll do damage, but keep in mind what's right there on the label "Fuel Air". You are never going to get the full effect of a FAE through shock transmission through water as everything has to take place above the surface of the water for it to work. It will be nothing like the shock damage done by a conventional explosive under water (proximity fused mine or torpedo for example).

Snip....

...you don’t sink ships by letting in air,...

Sounds like someone has been talking to some Bubbleheads

That’s pretty much what I thought. Some damage, but nothing fatal.

As for the second part, wait ‘til you see what I have in mind for the Texas Navy’s submarines, especially the minelayer.

[Captain Wheelgun]

Seems like something the Texas Navy could use to capture a French capital ship more or less intact though. Tow it home and set it up as a trophy/museum. I bet that would drive the French absolutely batshit.

I am intrigued by your ideas, and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

[Captain Wheelgun]

Here’s another snippet. The heat is rising...

Removed due to upcoming publication of Book 2. See my post on 09/07/2022 for more info.