Almost the real thing

[knuckles]

Check this out, these guys are serious, RC Battleships that fire ball bearings at competitior ships. They actualy sink.

http://www.ausbg.org/index.html

Makes a rule book and dice seem insufficient somehow

 

[Sgt. Brassones]

Those guys are insane. I wanna play! I wanna play!

 

[Aramanthus]

I've read about that thing for years! I'd love to participate! Of course first I'd want to watch several major engagements. Those are such cool toys for us fans of Naval warfare!

 

[Locutus9956]

that is so damn cool. I want one

 

[Chernobyl]

a buddy of mine used to do this...its not a cheap hobby by any means. a LOT of money goes into each one. and they you throw it away and sink it.

Chern

 

[DM]

a buddy of mine used to do this...its not a cheap hobby by any means. a LOT of money goes into each one. and they you throw it away and sink it.

JUST like the real thing then (I've been involved in sinking four decommissioned real ones so far)

 

[Wulf Corbett]

JUST like the real thing then (I've been involved in sinking four decommissioned real ones so far)

Not by live firing, I assume?

Wulf

 

[knuckles]

a buddy of mine used to do this...its not a cheap hobby by any means. a LOT of money goes into each one. and they you throw it away and sink it.

Chern

Not quite, they are actually fibreglass hulls with large sections cutaway, these sections are then overlayed with balsa wood, once the firing begins the BBs chipaway at the balsa and eventually the ship leaks and sinks. There is a hatch in the deck that floats off (but is attached by line), under the hatch is a little bouy with more line attached to the ship. the bouy floats to the surface and after the battle the owner wades out and collects his investment and replaces the balsa ready to fight again another day. Sure the set up costs are high but it does not take a lot of expense to ready for battle again. I think there is a vid link on th site that shows how they do it.

 

[DM]

Yes Wulf, live firing

 

[Wulf Corbett]

Yes Wulf, live firing

Where? How much oils and other pollutants were dumped into the sea for this evenings entertainment?

Wulf

 

[DM]

None - the environmental cleanup carried out on the hulks before they are towed out is phenomenal.

The USN sinks at least 6 a YEAR (often that many in one exercise, such as the annual "RIMPAC" exercise es off Hawaii)! Google on "SINKEX" and you'll see some impressive stuff.

 

[Jellicoe]

And to create artifical reefs. Same with old airframes, a large number of A-6s ended up and the bottom of the sea off Florida. Now that was a nice plane.

 

[Chernobyl]

http://navysite.de/ships/lsd32.htm

Speigel grove, a lage ship sunk to be an artifical reef. landed improperly, but a hurricane later righted it.