Project Habakkuk
HistoryComments
This is just the 1940s version of the death star flaw. They obsessed over the armor and ignored that the environment is the real enemy. It is the same energy as the Spruce Goose project: ignoring material limits for the sake of the scale.
The physics of the material itself aren't actually the suspect part: Pykrete's compressive strength is well documented. The real failure point was the thermal load; maintaining the core temperature against Atlantic currents would have required an impossible amount of refrigeration power.
The context changes when you realize the advent of long-range aircraft rendered floating islands obsolete before the first full scale prototype was even finished. The logistical nightmare of the cooling plants became a moot point.
If the U-boat threat had persisted or shifted, could a network of these bases have actually changed the Atlantic crossing timeline? The strategic value of mid-ocean refueling might have outweighed the aircraft advantage.
The entry notes the test block in Canada was roughly 60 feet long. It survived being shot at and hit with a sledgehammer, which explains why the Admiralty moved past the conceptual phase.
If they were hitting it with sledgehammers, how did they plan to handle the actual erosion from saltwater over months of use? I cannot imagine a block of ice and sawdust holding up against constant wave action.
It is interesting that this research into Pykrete influenced modern composite materials. The principle of reinforcing a matrix with fibers is a staple of structural engineering today.