Hi guys,

Thankyou for your detailed responses I appreciate it. Also I never knew .50 cal machine guns had the potential for such effective penetration at short range so thanks for that too.

So I gather you are both suggesting that while in theory it is possible for small calibres to breach the hull, in practice it would be unlikely and require a certain amount of luck.

I did think of another factor which might impede penetration also, aswell as the thickness of the pressure hull, would I be right in thinking that depending on the direction of incoming fire a bullet or shell would also have to either penetrate the deck, or one of the side blister tanks aswell as an outer shell before even coming into contact with the pressure hull? That would surely add some extra mms of steel and more potential for deflection.

anyways... many thanks guys.