Civilian Ships

[stitch626]

Any tank would be virtually immune to a cannonball. Damaging any of that stuff I mentioned doesn't actually render it combat ineffective.

Actually, the original tanks were no more durable than a modern car (armour wise), which was great for the time, but useless by today's standards.

[Sionnach Glic]

Um, wouldn't that be a volume of 10 m3. Unless I missed something...

It's 1 X 2 X .5
Not 1 X 2 X 5

[Aaron]

Dun'it (the tank shell) have to be designed to penetrate the armour to actually do anything?

Yes, it'll just ricochet of the armour if it's a cannonball. stitch has a point about the original tanks but I would expect the ball to knock loose rivets and send them flying around (rather like the original AT rounds) rather then make a hole.

An old timey cannon is a fairly low velocity weapon (blackpowder being a slow explosive).

[Tyyr]

Also, is it possible that there is more antimatter than matter in a PT, thus increasing its effectiveness towards physical targets?

Possibly, but the trade off is that you lower its effectiveness against shields. There's also the problem of how you get the antimatter in the warhead in contact with the hull of the target quickly and effectively.

[stitch626]

Um, wouldn't that be a volume of 10 m3. Unless I missed something...

It's 1 X 2 X .5
Not 1 X 2 X 5

Whoops!

Missed the decimal. Now it makes sense.

[McAvoy]

Any tank would be virtually immune to a cannonball. Damaging any of that stuff I mentioned doesn't actually render it combat ineffective.

Actually, the original tanks were no more durable than a modern car (armour wise), which was great for the time, but useless by today's standards.

Modern cars don't have 14mm (~half an inch) of armor....

[Tsukiyumi]

Modern cars don't have 14mm (~half an inch) of armor....

Well, mine...

Uh, yeah. They don't...

[stitch626]

Any tank would be virtually immune to a cannonball. Damaging any of that stuff I mentioned doesn't actually render it combat ineffective.

Actually, the original tanks were no more durable than a modern car (armour wise), which was great for the time, but useless by today's standards.

Modern cars don't have 14mm (~half an inch) of armor....

Of course not. But the metal of modern cars is more durable than the armour on the first tanks.

[Tyyr]

Thickness for thickness maybe, but 14mm of that steel is a hell of a lot harder to penetrate then the thing gauge sheet metal they have on cars now.

[McAvoy]

Thickness for thickness maybe, but 14mm of that steel is a hell of a lot harder to penetrate then the thing gauge sheet metal they have on cars now.

...or plastic.

[Captain Seafort]

Thickness for thickness maybe, but 14mm of that steel is a hell of a lot harder to penetrate then the thing gauge sheet metal they have on cars now.

Indeed. Early tank armour wasn't great, but it was proof against rifle and machine gun fire. Modern cars won't even protect you against pistol fire.

[stitch626]

Thickness for thickness maybe, but 14mm of that steel is a hell of a lot harder to penetrate then the thing gauge sheet metal they have on cars now.

14mm?
Try 4mm. That was what early tanks started with.

[Tyyr]

Still better than what's on a car today. And the Mark I went to war with 6 to 12mm, the A7V started off with 20 to 30mm of unhardened steel armor, inferior but still better than the quarter panels of a car.

Seriously, you're just fucking wrong.

[stitch626]

Still better than what's on a car today. And the Mark I went to war with 6 to 12mm, the A7V started off with 20 to 30mm of unhardened steel armor, inferior but still better than the quarter panels of a car.

Seriously, you're just f***ing wrong.

Your referencing American or British tanks, while I was referring to tanks in general. And most early Polish tanks had the same armour strength as a modern "armoured" car.

[Tyyr]

The Mark 1 was British, the A7V was German. The first two major tanks to see combat.

First Polish tanks? That's what you're going to reference in relation to WWI tanks instead of the Mark 1 or A7V? And modern armored cars? So what are you talking about, cars or armored cars, there is an ever so slight difference.