Irresistible Forces Meeting Immovable Objects

James McElroy had a few more comments regarding collisions of ships with things:

I'd like to draw your attention to the rant by XHawkeye (05-12-05) on page 2 of the message board. This seems to be a recurring theme in accident investigations, first protect the guilty, then hang the grunts out to dry.

Here is a direct link to a photo of the bow of the San Franciso with the blue tarp missing. I assumed that the tarp was there to hide something militarily valuable, but apparently not. This series [the photo is one of a series of five] explains a lot. The first picture that I sent earlier had me wondering how they were oriented at impact, but these shots make it clear.

[Referring to a point made in comments on the previous post regarding the Titanic collision with an iceberg] Your point about the glancing blow is a good one. To minimize effort, concentrate less energy at a weak point. To inflict fatality on someone, hit them over the head with a concrete block, or slip a filet knife between their ribs. Much less effort, same result.

Ice daggers! The Titanic was mugged by the North Atlantic!

I was struck by the comments on the message board made by PeteRR, who was apparently at the scene as the on-watch Diving Officer:

The next thing to cross my mind was why am I pushing myself off of the SCP (Ship's Control Panel, the main instrument and control panel for steering and driving the submarine) and where the hell the air rupture in the control room come from? I didn't know it, but I did a greater than 3g spiderman against the panel, punched a palm through the only plexiglass gauge on the SCP and had my leg crushed by the DOOW (Diving Officer Of the Watch) chair that I had just unbuckled (seatbelts are normally worn at high speeds) from. The DOOW chair was broken loose by the QMOW (QuarterMaster Of the Watch) flying more than 15 feet into it and smashing my leg against a hydraulic valve and the SCP. I don't remember freeing myself from it. If I had been buckled in, I don't think I would be writing this.

It's scary to be a fragile human being at the mercy of irresistible forces!