GERMANY's Bundeswehr carried out a simulation of a mine attack on a decommissioned frigate, the 2,090-ton displacement Karlsruhe, to test its survivability, reported Fort Lauderdale's Maritime Executive.
The blast went off and the ship remained afloat, according to Hamburg's public radio-television outlet, NDR (Norddeutscher Rundfunk).
The Karlsruhe was towed to a site about two miles off the coast of Schonhagen for the test, and as an environmental precautionary measure, the Bundeswehr set up a bubble curtain around the hull. This system reduces the level of radiated sound from an explosion, which can affect dolphins and other marine life.
They also wired up the ship with sensors and installed crash-test dummies in key compartments to measure the effects of the blast on the 'crew'.
A small 50-kilo charge was placed under the hull and detonated. It did not sink the ship, and a second blast is scheduled for later. Similar simulated mine tests are expected through 2028.
'From the results of the explosions, we can draw conclusions about the consequences of such explosions on the existing fleet and take these into account when building new ships,' said the Bundeswehr.
The US Navy carries out similar explosives trials on each new class of surface combatants. Dubbed 'shock trials,' the test programme consists of a series of progressively closer underwater blasts, and is designed to check the survivability of all ship systems.
SeaNews Turkey
The blast went off and the ship remained afloat, according to Hamburg's public radio-television outlet, NDR (Norddeutscher Rundfunk).
The Karlsruhe was towed to a site about two miles off the coast of Schonhagen for the test, and as an environmental precautionary measure, the Bundeswehr set up a bubble curtain around the hull. This system reduces the level of radiated sound from an explosion, which can affect dolphins and other marine life.
They also wired up the ship with sensors and installed crash-test dummies in key compartments to measure the effects of the blast on the 'crew'.
A small 50-kilo charge was placed under the hull and detonated. It did not sink the ship, and a second blast is scheduled for later. Similar simulated mine tests are expected through 2028.
'From the results of the explosions, we can draw conclusions about the consequences of such explosions on the existing fleet and take these into account when building new ships,' said the Bundeswehr.
The US Navy carries out similar explosives trials on each new class of surface combatants. Dubbed 'shock trials,' the test programme consists of a series of progressively closer underwater blasts, and is designed to check the survivability of all ship systems.
SeaNews Turkey
