BenBurch
Gatekeeper of The Left
LC, Bull Custard!
Had the explosives gone off on the surface of the steel, the blast pattern would have been obvious and the holes SMALL.
The REASON they rig the explosives to detonate a brief time after collision is to maximize damage. A the force of a bomb with no delay hitting a steel ship will mostly bounce off. INSIDE, well, there is nowhere for the force to escape to. The entry hole is way too small, and so the force is expended destroying the interior of the ship.
ANY wartime vessel would would have shrugged off a surface strike, and damage control would have had the holes patched up very quickly.
Had the explosives gone off on the surface of the steel, the blast pattern would have been obvious and the holes SMALL.
The REASON they rig the explosives to detonate a brief time after collision is to maximize damage. A the force of a bomb with no delay hitting a steel ship will mostly bounce off. INSIDE, well, there is nowhere for the force to escape to. The entry hole is way too small, and so the force is expended destroying the interior of the ship.
ANY wartime vessel would would have shrugged off a surface strike, and damage control would have had the holes patched up very quickly.