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RAF Fauld Explosion

J

jayteepee_1999

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This place in Staffordshire saw 4,000 tons of Bombs blown up in an accident in 1944, only three larger blasts were recorded during the War - those at Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the New Mexico Tests. The crater is 90ft deep and covers 12 Acres. A local reservoir containing 6 million gallons of water completely disappeared.

This is not a museum or mass tourist spot but a memorial stands there including the hole. out of bounds due to the nature of its contents and dangerous state.

This link is one of many under the name of Fauld.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=raf+fauld&btnG=Search&meta=

Yes a somber place to visit but read the websites for full information.

The RAF look after the place and undertake regular check for ordnance.

PLEASE DO NOT DIG OR INVESTIGATE ANOMALIES.

This is a protected site.
 
Interesting thread with great links,thank you Jay.

I do recall hearing of another explosion at an ammo site and there was ariel shots of the damage including the railway tracks strewn everywhere?,or am i thinking of an ammo train that went up??

best


Waff
 
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I remember seeing pics of an ammo ship in liverpool docks (i think) that had been hit by a german bomb. It was obliterated as were all the surrounding docks.
Paul.
 
Just found this on google.



On 1 May 1941 the most sensational of all enemy attacks on Merseyside took place: the blowing up of the SS Malarkand.
She was lying in the Huskisson Dock, with 1000 tons of high-explosive shells in her holds, due to sail to the Middle East. Incendiary bombs set her alight but, contrary to local opinion at the time, this was not what caused the ship to explode. A partly deflated barrage balloon, which had broken free, landed on her deck and set her rigging on fire. Incredible as it may seem, the captain and crew managed to subdue the flames but while they were busy, the shed next to the ship caught fire and only then did they abandon ship
The Malarkand was aflame from stem to stern and acted as a beacon to the incoming bombers that took great advantage and soon the whole of the dock complex was on fire and, indeed, the city itself was an inferno. It was at this point that the first explosion took place.
When it had subsided later that night an oxyacetylene burner was sent for to cut a hole in the side of the ship in an attempt to scuttle it and save the rest of the cargo from exploding. A Dock Board burner called Sam Hopley went in a small boat to cut through the ships plates as near to the waterline as possible. Unfortunately a combination of rusty plates and the damp conditions made a successful cut too difficult and the attempt had to be abandoned. The main explosion took place early the following morning causing terrible damage to the surrounding area. The force of the blast threw the ships 5 ton anchor four docks away where it landed on the Silvio sinking her. Pieces of plate were recovered from 5 miles away and some of the superstructure finished up in the grounds of the Southern Hospital. A 3 ton mobile compressor was found lodged between two cranes four docks away 80 feet from the ground.
 
waffenamt said:
Interesting thread with great links,thank you Jay.

I do recall hearing of another explosion at an ammo site and there was ariel shots of the damage including the railway tracks srewn everywhere?,or am i thinking of an ammo train that went up??

best


Waff
Click to expand...

You are thinking of the "big bang" at Savernake forest Waff !
Near Marlborough Wiltshire-see link-

http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/savernake-finds-t4170.html?p=25803

And you are right it as an ammo train that blew in the sidings spreading its contents over a very wide area.
 
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I am there on official duty tomorrow and if there are any good pics I may post them.

Please be aware these caves are out of bounds and locked.

JP
 
Fauld

Hi All, about 3 or four years ago I delivered some tarmac to fauld,we were tarmacing the roads on part of the Fauld site,I have some pics of the light railway tracks that ran throughout the site,in fact we tarmaced over some of the tracks,it is a pity some of them could not have been saved for posterity,
Regards,Don,
 
This was the S.S. Malakand (not Malarkand) see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Malakand.
The balloon was from 919 Squadron at Birkenhead which had about 25% of its balloons attached to waterborne mooring. Being filled with hydrogen the risk of fire with these was significant.
What is interesting is that not all the bombs exploded and the dock had to be drained to salvage them.
More about the post bombing bomb clearance at http://www.sole.org.uk/rhsaull.htm
The date is quoted as 3rd May 1941 not 1st May although air attacks were happening then see http://www.liverpoolblitz70.co.uk/2011/04/04/explosion-of-the-ss-malakand/

Peter Garwood
 
waffenamt said:
Interesting thread with great links,thank you Jay.

I do recall hearing of another explosion at an ammo site and there was ariel shots of the damage including the railway tracks strewn everywhere?,or am i thinking of an ammo train that went up??

best


Waff
Click to expand...

There was also one at Soham in 1944 . A train carrying about a thousand tons of US aerial bombs caught fire & exploded just after the station . There's a memorial there to this day .
 
Another one you seldom hear about was the mine sweeper ," Princess Irene" that exploded off Sheernes in 1917 . I can remember talking to relations of mine in the 1950's who witnessed the aftermath . Debris fell on Rainham in Kent some 15 miles away & the police went round asking people to hand in anything they found . The local museum had a pair of field glasses that landed on Gillingham Green ! It was suspected sabotage but this was probably propaganda to keep up civilian morale .
 
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