Photon Torpedoes

[Kitsune]

In the Starfire series of Novels (one of David Weber's universes / also a Science Fiction war game) one of the most dangerous hits is for an enemy to hit the ship's missile magazines and detonating the anit-matter of a warhead. It is so danagerous that ships that are not at war carry nuclear warheads instead of anti-matter warheads.

Since Trek Photon torpedoes also use anti-matter, how much of a problem do you see that being with Trek ships. Maybe some of the ships which exploded in battle during the Dominion war were killed by hits in the torpedo magazines instead on the warp core.

Also wondering if hits on Quantum torp woudl result in the same thing

[Death from the Sea]

In the Starfire series of Novels (one of David Weber's universes / also a Science Fiction war game) one of the most dangerous hits is for an enemy to hit the ship's missile magazines and detonating the anit-matter of a warhead. It is so danagerous that ships that are not at war carry nuclear warheads instead of anti-matter warheads.

Since Trek Photon torpedoes also use anti-matter, how much of a problem do you see that being with Trek ships. Maybe some of the ships which exploded in battle during the Dominion war were killed by hits in the torpedo magazines instead on the warp core.

Also wondering if hits on Quantum torp woudl result in the same thing

I don't think that the photon torpedoes have anti-matter until they are armed, which is shortly before the are fired.

[TrailerParkJawa]

Wouldnt you want them all armed as you go into battle. It would suck to have to wait to fire a torpedo cause you are transfering in the anti matter

[Kitsune]

Also, trying to transport the anti-matter during combat, you have the danger of the transport system getting damaged.

[Admiral Johnason]

In the Starfire series of Novels (one of David Weber's universes / also a Science Fiction war game) one of the most dangerous hits is for an enemy to hit the ship's missile magazines and detonating the anit-matter of a warhead. It is so danagerous that ships that are not at war carry nuclear warheads instead of anti-matter warheads.

Since Trek Photon torpedoes also use anti-matter, how much of a problem do you see that being with Trek ships. Maybe some of the ships which exploded in battle during the Dominion war were killed by hits in the torpedo magazines instead on the warp core.

Also wondering if hits on Quantum torp woudl result in the same thing

I don't think that the photon torpedoes have anti-matter until they are armed, which is shortly before the are fired.

But they do. I seem to recall a ship getting hit in the mags and loosing containment. Cna't remember the ep.

[Col. Crackpot]

In the Starfire series of Novels (one of David Weber's universes / also a Science Fiction war game) one of the most dangerous hits is for an enemy to hit the ship's missile magazines and detonating the anit-matter of a warhead. It is so danagerous that ships that are not at war carry nuclear warheads instead of anti-matter warheads.

Since Trek Photon torpedoes also use anti-matter, how much of a problem do you see that being with Trek ships. Maybe some of the ships which exploded in battle during the Dominion war were killed by hits in the torpedo magazines instead on the warp core.

Also wondering if hits on Quantum torp woudl result in the same thing

I don't think that the photon torpedoes have anti-matter until they are armed, which is shortly before the are fired.

But they do. I seem to recall a ship getting hit in the mags and loosing containment. Cna't remember the ep.

in TWOK the Ent-nil refit took a sustained phaser strike running the entire length of her torpedo bay. No warhead explosions, just some glowing, twisted steel.

[Admiral Johnason]

I don't think that the photon torpedoes have anti-matter until they are armed, which is shortly before the are fired.

But they do. I seem to recall a ship getting hit in the mags and loosing containment. Cna't remember the ep.

in TWOK the Ent-nil refit took a sustained phaser strike running the entire length of her torpedo bay. No warhead explosions, just some glowing, twisted steel.

The torps are not stored in the bay. That's like saying that a battleship's shells are stored right in the turret.

[Sarevok]

[quote="Kitsune"]In the Starfire series of Novels (one of David Weber's universes / also a Science Fiction war game) one of the most dangerous hits is for an enemy to hit the ship's missile magazines and detonating the anit-matter of a warhead. It is so danagerous that ships that are not at war carry nuclear warheads instead of anti-matter warheads.

Since Trek Photon torpedoes also use anti-matter, how much of a problem do you see that being with Trek ships. Maybe some of the ships which exploded in battle during the Dominion war were killed by hits in the torpedo magazines instead on the warp core.

Also wondering if hits on Quantum torp woudl result in the same thing[/quote

Stored photon torpedoes are empty casings that do not contain anti-matter and therefore have no chance of detonating if hit. Only before launch anti-matter is added from the ships anti-matter fuel supply.

Quantum torpedoes work by detonating a conventional warhead to unleash zero point energy, thereby doubling the yield. They too are empty when in storage and are armed only before launch.

The only chance of a starship being destroyed by a matter / anti-matter explosion occurs when the warp core or the anti-matter storage tanks are hit. In such a circumstance even the most powerful battleships are destroyed in a fiery explosion.

[Howedar]

in TWOK the Ent-nil refit took a sustained phaser strike running the entire length of her torpedo bay. No warhead explosions, just some glowing, twisted steel.

The torps are not stored in the bay. That's like saying that a battleship's shells are stored right in the turret.

A better analogy would the the torpedo room of a submarine, which, by the way, does in fact store the torpedos as well as launch them.

[Sarevok]

A better analogy would the the torpedo room of a submarine, which, by the way, does in fact store the torpedos as well as launch them.

I agree with that explanation. But in any case there are no chances of torpedoes exploding from a hit to the torpedo room since the anti-matter warhead is loaded only before launch.

[Kitsune]

I agree with that explanation. But in any case there are no chances of torpedoes exploding from a hit to the torpedo room since the anti-matter warhead is loaded only before launch.

Loading the torpedos just before firing is less safe that keeping them loaded. What happens if the feed system (which theoertically has to run from the engine room to the torpedoes) gets a rupture in combat and your warning system is damaged as well. It is much easier to to put heavy armor around the torpedo storage.

[Kitsune]

The torps are not stored in the bay. That's like saying that a battleship's shells are stored right in the turret.

Well, there are examples of hits on british battleships during ww1 where a hit on a turret causes the flash to go down the barbette and take out the magazines and destroy the battleship.

I would say that they were behind or under the launchers. I would be currious where exactly the blueprints of the enterprise D puts them at. It may be uofficial but at least it gives ideas.

[Admiral Johnason]

The torps are not stored in the bay. That's like saying that a battleship's shells are stored right in the turret.

Well, there are examples of hits on british battleships during ww1 where a hit on a turret causes the flash to go down the barbette and take out the magazines and destroy the battleship.

I would say that they were behind or under the launchers. I would be currious where exactly the blueprints of the enterprise D puts them at. It may be uofficial but at least it gives ideas.

I think that they are stored in a compartment above the torps bay. In TWOK, we see trops being lowered from a crain that goes up to another level. In TUC, we see the actuall torp bay and no tubes in sight. Also, it seems that by thah time, they were usong autoloaders because the bay was not all that large and had no crewman in it.