| GENE SLOVERS US NAVY PAGES USS WISCONSIN |
 |
| WISCONSIN TURRET PICTURE FURNISHED BY SCOTT CHIPMAN THE CRACKS IN THE WELDS BETWEEN THE FACEPLATE AND THE SIDEPLATE ARE CAUSED BY THE RAINBOW OF THE PLATES DUE TO MUZZLE BLAST. THE FACEPLATE RAINBOWS THE MOST AS IT IS SUBJECTED TO THE MOST FORCE OF THE MUZZLE BLAST. HOWEVER THE SIDE PLATES AND TURRET TOP ALSO RAINBOW DUE TO MUZZLE BLAST. THE FACEPLATE OF COURSE IS MORE THAN 17 INCHES THICK. THE CORNERS OF THE TURRET ARE LIKE THE CORNERS OF A BOX WITH VERY THICK SIDES. THIS GREAT THICKNESS FORMS A SORT OF LARGE LEVERAGE HINGE AT THE CORNERS OF THE THICKNESS OF THE PLATES. WHEN THE PLATES RAINBOW EVERYTHING IS ROSEY EXCEPT IN THE CORNERS. THE WELD TRIES TO KEEP THE CORNER SQUARE AND NOT TO RAINBOW AS THE PLATE IS DOING. HOWEVER THE LEVERAGE EFFECT DUE TO THE THICKNESS OF THE PLATE FORCES THE RAINBOW TO THE VERY EDGE OF THE SQUARE CORNER. THE WELD IS THE WEAK PART OF THE STRUCTURE SO THE WELD IS SUFFICIENTLY PULLED THAT THE WELD IS LITTERALY PULLED APART, RESULTING IN THE CRACKS IN THE WELD. |