Comments on: Episode 62: Killer Cable Snaps

By: Jack H

Jack H — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 08:51:31 +0000

A cable simply breaking and perhaps whipping, is one thing. But a cable broken and playing out under load will slice you in two

By: Bill

Bill — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:49:56 +0000

Mooring lines are much larger

140000 Lb B/S and snap from nylon is enormous compared to wire

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:00:50 +0000

This was possibly one of the worst episodes – sorry guys I love the show but this one was seriously flawed

The puny hydraulic ram and thin cables that were cut was not an accurate representation of the forces involved.

Jamie even said they were pulling the weight of 10 cars. This is nothing compared to the weight of a ship and a hawser wrapped around a capstan that applies enough force to stretch the cable to snapping point. It needs redoing using a ships capstan.

As for the acoustic pot

By: Argh Science Pirate

Argh Science Pirate — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:10:11 +0000

Technically it cut her into 3, then, right?

By: Ami d'un Ami d'un Ami d'un...

Ami d'un Ami d'un Ami d'un... — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 20:39:14 +0000

Pff, how many urban legends start with “A friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of…”

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 18:54:16 +0000

Maybe not at your torso, but cables are fully capable of decapitation or cutting limbs off. A friend of a friend of mine was decapitated by a cable.

By: mik

mik — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 07:00:56 +0000

well it looks like you guys need to redo this one!!

By: Needa

Needa — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 17:30:32 +0000

Frank, you do realise that the playing card, even with Jamie’s super card throwing rig, just bearly drew blood?

By: Dave

Dave — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 12:24:25 +0000

The only time I have heard of someone getting cut in half by a snapping cable was an industerial accident. It was not the snapping cable that did it, it was the touque of the drilling rig when it hit rock and yes a person was cut in half. It happened in Colorado 25 years ago. But a snapping cable, busted.

By: Tom

Tom — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 17:19:06 +0000

I was on board a tanker aground on a sandbar and a large rescue tug was trying to pull us off during heavy winds. They were using about 1.5″ cable and it was payed out about 400 feet. My ship was small as tankers go, 40,000 tons, but I’m sure the tension was 100,000 lbs. A BM2 suffered an amputated leg, a GMG1 had a broken ankle and a SN had a dislocated shoulder. Four or five had shrapnel wounds. Pieces of wire flying all over the place.