Karl Malmros and Max Jönsson with the 16 inch bomb.
Kamuro bomb 16”
The Kamuro bomb is charged in Krutbruket’s steel mortar that is made from 4 mm steel plating and shod with 8x60 mm rings all around. The steel mortar is welded onto a steel plate and screwed down with 4 M16 bolts into a cement mounting that weighs approximately 500 kg. The mortar’s weight is approximately 120 kg.
The bomb is fired from the powder house property safety area west of Träsket and the distance to the spectators is approximately 300 meters with a 15 meters high forest curtain between the firing site and the spectators.
The bomb weighs approximately 30 kg and has a propulsive charge of black powder with a weight of 1 kg. The black powder charge will propel the bomb to approximately 500 meters in the air and the burst will be approximately 600 meters in diameter.
We must really hope for fine weather and a high cloud base or no clouds otherwise there is a great risk that the bomb will simply disappear up in the clouds and at best we will see a small glimpse of light.
A bomb of this size may, today, only be handled by Smålands Krutbruk and this means that we are today alone in the country for the firing of bombs of this size.
In other words, you will probably only see this once in your lifetime! Don’t miss the 28th of December at our site with the DEMO start at 19.00 hrs.
On the 29th of December at 03.00 hrs you can read more on this page about how the firing went.
The 16 inch bomb is fired
There is a slight snowfall in the air, the temperature is slowly falling and according to western time metering it is the 28th of December 2001.
It is the second Demo and the Manager Jonas Grahn, moreover the Compere for the firings is a little worried about the low cloud base – are we going to see anything of the bomb?
That’s it — the bomb — it’s now time to fire the big 16” kamuro bomb and over the loud speakers Jonas asks for a countdown.
The many spectators begin the countdown - 10, 9, 8 … fire! The ground shakes and just like on a cable railway the huge bomb disappears up into the air, the pressure wave rolls in over the demo site and a dull, violently drawn out thunder is heard.
The seconds go by and then, completely without forewarning it explodes far up in the clouds. Everyone is disappointed – neither a star nor a flash of light is seen.
We had all hoped for a starry sky but just as on a previous occasion, clouds and snowfall ruined all longed-for experiences of what a 16” bomb can really offer.
It was a great pity, but next time we have a starry sky for a Demo it’s possible that can offer a bomb experience of this caliber as a surprise instead.
