MovieChat Forums > Raise the Titanic (1980) Discussion > Conceptual issue - NOT THE BOAT - The de...

Conceptual issue - NOT THE BOAT - The defense project

posted 12 years ago by censorshipsucks06
6 replies | jump to latest

In one of the very first scenes, they discuss "The Sicilian Project". Essentially, they want to use lasers which are activated and linked up from 'ground to infinity', setting up a 'shield' around the United States that no missile could penetrate.

Ok - well, since missiles were (and still are to my knowledge) propelled by fuel engines, exactly how would this dumb shield work? If it's going to knock down all missiles, wouldn't it knock down all jet planes too? And since 100's (if not 1000's) of planes are flying each day across this 'shield', I'm really glad to know that these idiots came up with a plan that would virtually cut us off from the rest of the planet. That is, of course, unless they expect to build a lot more steam liners like the Titanic and ship everything and everyone by boat. Maybe that's another reason to raise the Titanic. They'll need all the ships they can muster.

Seriously, I know it's 'fiction', but good fiction takes leaps above, but doesn't leave out, all common sense.

[–] trob226 12 years ago

You're forgetting, this was Clive Cussler.

[–] JH_Kalashnikov 11 years ago

The plot for the book predated Reagan's "Star Wars" Strategic Defense Initiative (both of which bare striking resemblances, if not the shared background of almost-complete implausibility in real-life physics) and Cussler has been known to come up with elaborate plot devices for his works. Any of his novels, whether the story requires pseudo-scientific hokum or an alternate "what if" of world history, use such plot devices.

In short: it's fiction, plain and simple. Just turn off your brain and enjoy the fantasy.

[–] AlexWard 11 years ago

In the book, the Byzanium super amplified sound waves or something similar. It was more of a force field made of sound than lasers.

Oderint Dum Metuant

[–] smokiegeezer 11 years ago

The issue is not the Scillian defense system, It's the fact their is an American On Svarvlov and nobody knows about it!

[–] NickRose_242 9 years ago

It's possible they would keep it off most of the time and just activate it when the Soviets launched ICBMs. That way it wouldn't affect air travel

[–] Blueghost 9 years ago

The programming would to look at the inbound's telemetry. A 747 typically flies at level altitude just under the speed of sound. A missile, specifically an ICBM, flies a parabolic course, and comes in at high mach.

So where the two probably have similar radar cross section profiles, their courses are radically different.

The problem with the Byzantium "shield" concept is that the Soviet "rocket batallion" wasn't solely a land based system, but was heavily reliant on submarines as well as mobile missile launchers. If there's a Soviet boomer sitting off the coast of California or in the Gulf of Mexico or what have you, all the Soviet crew needs to do is to pipe in their new location and change the target for the missile.

The missile wouldn't have far to travel, and could hit its target within five minutes, well below the time needed for the Byzantium system to get up and running in terms of USAF personnel to realize they were under attack, and shoot down or laze the target with a laser beam.

But, that was in the late 70s early 80s. Processing power is far more robust now, so, in theory, that system could work now. But at the time the film came out? I'd say there would have been a 50/50 chance of success, and that's being generous.