"Chad Irby" wrote in message
om...
In article ,
"Kevin Brooks" wrote:

If *your* interpretation of that is that it requires a weapon capable
of breaching a massive dam like Three Gorges, then you need a reality
check and some remedial reading comprehension work. That dam is over
180 meters tall, and contains some 26 plus *million* cubic meters of
concrete (more than *twice* the mass of the world's previous record
holder). It is designed to handle a 7.0 Richter scale event. Reality
check time--what conventional weapon do you know of, or can you even
conceive of, that could *breach* a structure of those massive
dimensions? Answer--none.

Actually, the answer is "a pretty big one, but not as big as you'd
think."

The Three Gorges is certainly very wide, and very tall, and quite thick
at the base, but if you hit it about halfway up with a full reservoir,
you could breach it with a moderately-large explosive package, since
it's only about twice as thick at midpoint as the Mohne dam was at the
point the Wallis bomb broke it. Since the explosive for the Wallis bomb
was 6600 pounds, you could probably knock a big hole in the Three Gorges
with a ten or twelve ton bomb of more-aggressive explosive, maybe with a
shaped charge. Do that at one-third of the way down from the crest
(deeper than the Mohne, you get a lot more boost from the water
pressure), and you could flood central China with a bigger flood than
any recorded in history.

There are some concerns about the construction or the 3GD (they had 80
fairly long, two meter deep cracks form when they started filling it).

A moderately paranoid person might also consider that the Chinese
government could be dropping these "Taiwan may attack dam" stories in
order to give them someone to blame when and if the thing lets go on its
own.

The largest bomb the ROCAF could deliver would be maybe a 2000
pounder, of which maybe half is explosive filler. Submerge that puppy
on the upstream side (a la the old Barnes Walls "Dambusters"
approach) and you'll be lucky to spall some concrete and kill oodles
of fish.

The sort of thing that would destroy the Three Gorges wouldn't be
air-deliverable by Taiwan, but would be easy enough to assemble upstream
and place with divers.

--
cirby at cfl.rr.com

Remember: Objects in rearview mirror may be hallucinations.
Slam on brakes accordingly.


Really, you don't have to knock a whole in it. All you have to do is weaken
it, the water behind it is relentless and will find it's own way
through......


T3