Stephen Johnson, the author of
Silent Steel, wrote this article this article in the months following the publication of
Scorpion Down. In it, he does a pretty thorough job explaining why the "Soviet torpedo" theory is implausible, and explains the nature of underwater explosions and implosions.
http://www.terratol.com/sitebuilderc..._The_Myths.pdf
To quote the most pertinent part of the essay:
Quote:
The fundamental thing to remember is that Scorpion’s wreckage exhibits massive and obvious evidence of hydrostatic collapse damage, also called "implosion" damage. Such damage is obvious on two different locations fore and aft on Scorpion’s hull, and occurs when an intact submarine, unmarred by blast damage from an undersea weapon, descends below its "crush depth".
Submarines struck by depth charges or torpedoes are almost always found intact on the seafloor, save for the presence of a highly distinctive hole blown into the hull of the boat. Such penetrations rapidly fill submarines with water. When sea pressure inside its hull is equal to that of the surrounding sea, a submarine cannot suffer catastrophic implosion damage as did the USS Thresher in 1963 or the USS Scorpion in 1968. (The condition of the shattered Thresher, which suffered implosion damage when it descended below its crush depth, is, with some minor differences, similar to that of the Scorpion. Even Thresher’s fairwater sail, like that of the Scorpion, was detached following the implosion of its air-filled hull. See the photograph below.)
What is almost humorous about persistent claims that Scorpion was struck by a torpedo, is the recognition by experts that had the Scorpion been sunk by such a weapon, the damage would have been so obvious and unmistakable as to ensure that there would be no disagreement or controversy. The very obvious evidence of implosion damage to Scorpion proves that the one thing that didn't happen to the Scorpion was torpedo attack. And yet, a controversy persists, mostly because some, for their own purposes, desire one.
The Scorpion is dismembered into four main pieces and scattered across a broad debris field. This is a far different arrangement than one would see with a submarine struck by a torpedo. It is common to find submarines sunk by depth charges, mines or torpedoes mostly intact on the seafloor without any sign of implosion damage.
It should be noted that massive implosion damage is obvious on the Israeli Defense Force submarine INS Dakar lost mysteriously on January 25, 1968 in the Mediterranean. When it was finally located May 28, 1999 the horrific and unlimited force of implosion damage was fully documented. The Israeli government does not believe Dakar was sunk by a torpedo.
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