Subdeacon Joe Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/cannonball-fired-mythbusters-stunt-goes-through-du/nFwRj/ DUBLIN, Calif. — A house sustained some damaged late Tuesday afternoon when a cannonball that was fired as part of a stunt for the Discovery Channel show Mythbusters went through the wall of a home in a residential area of Dublin. The Alameda County Sheriff's Department confirmed that at around 4:15 p.m. a cannonball was "misfired" from the Alameda County bomb range and went through the home located at the intersection of Cassata Place and Old Westbury Way. According to the sheriff's department spokesperson said "the cannonball took a few unfortunate bounces" and ended up going through the home. No one was hurt in the incident, but there are emergency vehicles still on the scene investigating what happened and assessing the damage. KTVU has a crew on the way and will report any additional details as they are made available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 So much for a range safety award. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Scatterbrain Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 I haven't watched that show in awhile, but I always did have some doubts about their firearms handling abilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 An update: DUBLIN, Calif. — An East Dublin family is no doubt still stunned by a cannonball blast that hit their home. The TV show "MythBusters" was firing cannonball at the Alameda County Sheriff's Department bomb range behind the Santa Rita Jail on Tuesday when it misfired. Sheriff's spokesman J.D. Nelson told the Contra Costa Times (http://bit.ly/umCZnD ) that no one was injured and the home's residents didn't even wake up until the dust was settled — literally on top of them. After tearing through the home, the cannonball smashed through a window of a parked minivan a few hundred feet away. Nelson is also a consultant for the Discovery Channel TV show. He says producers have used the cannon that they built at the range more than 50 times without incident. That house is about a mile straight line from the range. Ball plunged through the roof, out the wall, and then into the van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Dave Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Ya think ya used enough powder there Butch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 Ya think ya used enough powder there Butch? Wouldn't need to be but about 5 or 6 ounces to do that. Service charge for a 12 pound Napoleon with solid shot was 2 1/2 pounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paladin Gun For Hire Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Joe, Were you anywhere near that cannon? If not, maybe they should have given ya a call for expert advise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 Joe, Were you anywhere near that cannon? If not, maybe they should have given ya a call for expert advise. I know someone who did some cannon work with them. Nope...I won't go near them. Too dangerous. And the pay sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Windshadow Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 problem is a bomb range is not normally set up like a projectile range and even less like an artillery range where you have to allow for the skip problems that hard berms can induce in an old fashioned round cannon ball they would have been better served heading to their favorite desert location where they did their shooting a bullet straight up tests I was amazed when they let off their log cannon at the old NAS with ships in view a mile or so out.... I recall that the were disappointed not to recover the ball given the lighter weight of the stone ball and the size of the charge expect the ball ended up in the bay.... lots of folks do not respect the power of black powder considering it that stuff used for special effects banks and fireworks.... I recall from my engineering training that Black powder could be substituted for 60% dynamite by the factor of .55 and if you were after 'heave' rather than 'shatter' it could be preferred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klondike SASS Life #29713 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Ya think ya used enough powder there Butch? Dave, That was my exact thought when I read the OP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Somebody's got a lot of 'splainin to do! They should fire everybody but Carrie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Pony Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Well if the guys ever have to do any time I can double for Jamie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seldom Seen #16162 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 When we saw it on the news this morningte first thing my wife said was "How do you misfire a cannon?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 When we saw it on the news this morningte first thing my wife said was "How do you misfire a cannon?" Yeah. A misfire should result in a "Click". Not a hole in somebody's house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noz Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 ALL UNITS-ALL UNITS. THIS IS RANGE CONTROL. CEASE FIRE CEASE FIRE Makes sense if you've ever been to Grafenwohr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 ALL UNITS-ALL UNITS. THIS IS RANGE CONTROL. CEASE FIRE CEASE FIRE Makes sense if you've ever been to Grafenwohr. What a lovely place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noz Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 What a lovely place. Must have been another one. Mine wasn't all that nice altho I only saw the inside of the Officers Club. Straight from the range to the club, to bed, to the range, to the club etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 You missed the pool and golf course? But then being an Enlisted rank, we did get the good stuff. But perhaps I am thinking of Hohenfels. Another high end vacation destination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 Another update: http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/79349 One of the zany experiments staged by the "Mythbusters" television show nearly turned into a suburban tragedy Tuesday afternoon in Dublin (Calif.) when the crew fired a homemade cannon toward huge containers of water at the Alameda County Sheriff's Department bomb disposal range. The cantaloupe-sized cannonball missed the water, tore through a cinder-block wall, skipped off a hillside and flew some 700 yards east, right into the Tassajara Creek neighborhood, where children were returning home from school at 4:15 p.m., authorities said. There, the 6-inch projectile bounced in front of a home on quiet Cassata Place, ripped through the front door, raced up the stairs and blasted through a bedroom, where a man, woman and child slept through it all - only awakening because of plaster dust. The ball wasn't done bouncing. It exited the house, leaving a perfectly round hole in the stucco, crossed six-lane Tassajara Road, took out several tiles from the roof of a home on Bellevue Circle and finally slammed into the Gill family's beige Toyota Sienna minivan in a driveway on Springvale Drive. Bloody hell! A 6" ball! That is about a 32 pounder, if made of iron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Dave Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 The family was sleeping at 4:15 in the afternoon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 It must be true. It is on the net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eamon Chute Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Somebody's got a lot of 'splainin to do! They should fire everybody but Carrie. A few weeks back Carrie was filming an episode of Mythebusters just down the street from me on the esplanade by the beach here in town. I have no idea what the episode was about but she was wearing a very short skirt and a skimpy halter top while sitting up on the rear deck of a Cadillac convertible. Yep....the DVR is are set-up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 The family was sleeping at 4:15 in the afternoon? Maybe retired and napping. Or recovering from some afternoon delight. More likely work a graveyard shift and were getting what sleep they could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Hey NOZ Have you heard the Phantom RTO on the net ?? You have to remenber " RC RC , YOU **** " Had not thought of that in a while CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Harley, #14153 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 That cannon didn't "misfire". The knuckleheads just didn't account for how the projectile would move after leaving the barrel. Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels. Two of my favorite places. If I ever run for president there are pictures from the Graf O-Club that would force me to withdraw from the race, but it was a good time for sure. Then there was that time when an Abrams crew was going through their table and the target was a flying drone meant to be engaged by the co-ax machine gun. The gunner forgot to switch from "main gun" to "co-ax", and when he pulled the trigger a sabot round went out with 30 degrees elevation heading due east. Luckily it was a non-explosive projectile. When they ran the ballistics it looks like the round landed on the other side of the Iron Curtain, which was still active at the time. Then there was the time that an Apache crew was supposed to engage a target with rockets at a range of 1000 meters. That is a "1" with thee "0's" for the Marines in the crowd. The gunner typed an extra "0" into the ballistic computer and the salvo went 10x the expected distance. Luckily he was aiming along the long axis of the impact area and it landed inside the safe area, which was about 15,000 meters long at that point. Then there was the 81mm mortar crew that was supposed to fire a round with Charge 2, but forgot to cut the bags and let it loose with Charge 8. I won't tell you where that one happened, but the round hit a remote area of a state park, and it was HE. Nobody was hurt gratefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noz Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 No we lived in total fear of "Range Control".. If they said jump we asked how high and where do you want us to come down. BMC- Never got to Hohenfels. Heard it was very much like the French Riviera. I've got Graf stories til the world looks level. I was witness to the last firing of the 280mm gun. Huge projectiles. I was on the hill and one landed in front of me and one behind. Pucker factor was off the chart. I'm curious what kind of a charge of what they were using to get that kind of range and momentum. Especially if that was in fact a 32 lb ball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rancho Roy Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 My son lives in Dublin CA. It was reported on the news that it was a cantaloupe that was fired from the cannon............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 That cannon didn't "misfire". The knuckleheads just didn't account for how the projectile would move after leaving the barrel. Yep. Which seems to be not uncommon with them if you pay any attention to the show. I'm curious what kind of a charge of what they were using to get that kind of range and momentum. Especially if that was in fact a 32 lb ball. I based that 32 pound on a few accounts that it was a 6" ball, and the assumption it was iron. A 32 pound ball is actually 6.1" in diameter, so maybe call it a 30 pounder. If they were using the gun I think they did, it isn't chambered. So I'm thinking at least a pound, and likely FFg, which would give at least 50% more pressure than cannon grade. That should give plenty of down range energy. I'm really surprised that they haven't accidentally blown up a gun yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 That cannon didn't "misfire". The knuckleheads just didn't account for how the projectile would move after leaving the barrel. Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels. Two of my favorite places. If I ever run for president there are pictures from the Graf O-Club that would force me to withdraw from the race, but it was a good time for sure. Then there was that time when an Abrams crew was going through their table and the target was a flying drone meant to be engaged by the co-ax machine gun. The gunner forgot to switch from "main gun" to "co-ax", and when he pulled the trigger a sabot round went out with 30 degrees elevation heading due east. Luckily it was a non-explosive projectile. When they ran the ballistics it looks like the round landed on the other side of the Iron Curtain, which was still active at the time. Then there was the time that an Apache crew was supposed to engage a target with rockets at a range of 1000 meters. That is a "1" with thee "0's" for the Marines in the crowd. The gunner typed an extra "0" into the ballistic computer and the salvo went 10x the expected distance. Luckily he was aiming along the long axis of the impact area and it landed inside the safe area, which was about 15,000 meters long at that point. Then there was the 81mm mortar crew that was supposed to fire a round with Charge 2, but forgot to cut the bags and let it loose with Charge 8. I won't tell you where that one happened, but the round hit a remote area of a state park, and it was HE. Nobody was hurt gratefully. As an old mortar man, please tell me that this didn't happen. I always thougt that those yellow charges would make a great grilled cheese samish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Smokepole #29248L Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 29 Palms......... Now that's a luxury vacation....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 Yet more video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shoer 27979 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 29 Palms......... Now that's a luxury vacation....... 29 Palms ain't bad Smokepole I have been there and one of my sons was stationed there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 NOZ I was known for giving RC a real bad time , That was the POLITE version of what was sent . CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 I know that they are closely supervised by pros when they're doing something like this. Their insurance company and the network insists on it. Somebody, and probably not the Mythbusters crew, screwed up big time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 I know that they are closely supervised by pros when they're doing something like this. Their insurance company and the network insists on it. Somebody, and probably not the Mythbusters crew, screwed up big time. A friend of mine did some cannon work for them last year. Not much supervision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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