# 4,000 luxury cars get a Viking funeral **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 22, 2022, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959 "2022-02-22T16:48:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2022, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/21 "2022-02-23T15:53:29Z")
The SR-71 is made of titanium, and has a skin temperature of 600 F. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2022, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/22 "2022-02-23T16:35:10Z")
but then again, burning car/truck tires are nearly impossible to put out (esp. if burning in bigger numbers) … yet I have the feeling that they are pretty normal goods (transportation wise, that is). quote from wikipedia (bolding mine): _Tire fires are events that involve the combustion of large quantities of [tires](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire), typically in locations where they are stored, dumped, or processed. They exist in two forms: as fast-burning events, leading to almost immediate loss of control, and as slow-burning [pyrolysis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrolysis) **which can continue for over a decade**._ ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2022, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/23 "2022-02-23T16:38:43Z")
_The SR-71 is made of titanium, and has a skin temperature of 600 F._ generally not … I’d even venture a guess that the 71s had over 99+% of their lifespan a temperature that was pretty much in line with their environment - and quite a bit lower thatn 600F 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2022, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/24 "2022-02-23T16:55:52Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > but then again, burning car/truck tires are nearly impossible to put out (esp. if burning in bigger numbers) As anyone who pays attention to the Simpsons opening can attest: “estd. 1989” ---
**Author:** ![moes\_lotion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@moes\_lotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moes_lotion)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2022, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/25 "2022-02-24T21:02:27Z")
Regarding the use of titanium, don’t know if this applies to why Tesla has a shield made with it below the battery, but one reason titanium alloys are used for missile nosecones is that the alloys retain their mechanical strength up to nearly their melting temperature, which might be a good thing if the battery does catch fire. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2022, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/26 "2022-02-24T22:23:21Z")
> [@digs](#): > > But I can still get out to that ship (with a couple of inflatable Zodiacs) and grab a Porsche that isn’t on fire yet… > > … right? Given the ship’s location you might want to go for a [Lotus](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CykytBCLy24&t=52s) instead. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2022, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/27 "2022-02-25T09:10:47Z")
Been working in the field for 30 years and never heard of this. Grain ships don’t catch fire too often because grain isn’t highly flammable and there aren’t usually any sources of ignition. Smouldering fires in ship holds carrying grain do occur from time to time ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2022, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/28 "2022-02-25T11:01:57Z")
That ship is carrying my spring Porsche order. Which means I have to drive my winter Porsche until the summer car arrives. I may have to start flying them over. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2022, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/29 "2022-02-25T11:55:41Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > That ship is carrying my spring Porsche order. Which means I have to drive my winter Porsche until the summer car arrives. I may have to start flying them over. - I thought flying cars were still a dream. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2022, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/30 "2022-02-25T14:10:51Z")
The grain isn’t the source of ignition: the methane is. Grain silos are flooded with nitrogen. Barns aren’t, but if the hay is stacked too tight to let the methane vent, it can ignite. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2022, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/31 "2022-02-25T22:36:08Z")
Methane is flammable but not a source of ignition. Cargo holds are not silos. They are vented. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2022, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/32 "2022-02-25T23:01:50Z")
You are right about venting vs nitrogen in transport vs storage. And I was incorrect IRT ignition: the methane is the fuel. The ignition is a spark, or even the heat from the methane developing compressed as the grain or silage decomposes. The third leg of the fire triangle is O2, unless the fuel is titanium. Then there’s the amazing topic of combustible dust. Plenty of videos on the [Chemical Safety Board’s](https://m.youtube.com/user/USCSB/videos) YouTube channel. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/33 "2022-03-01T20:01:46Z")
**Update:** The fire is (presumably) out now Why is the fire out now? Because the boat got flooded with water. How did the boat get flooded with water? It sank this morning. We _really_ need to bring back the old /smack/ emoticon from the old vBulliten boards. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/34 "2022-03-01T20:12:30Z")
I’m beginning to doubt the recoverability of those cars. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/35 "2022-03-01T20:16:21Z")
Just one of them cost $123,000. > **[After Burning for Days, a Ship Carrying Thousands of Luxury Cars Sinks](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/01/world/europe/ship-sinks-luxury-cars.html)** > > The ship, the Felicity Ace, was carrying about 4,000 vehicles, including Bentleys and Porsches, when it caught fire on Feb. 16. On Tuesday morning, it sank. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/36 "2022-03-01T20:21:06Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Just one of them cost $123,000. - > > [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/01/world/europe/ship-sinks-luxury-cars.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/01/world/europe/ship-sinks-luxury-cars.html) Who’s the cheapskate? Good thing the ship wasn’t in the Suez Canal. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/37 "2022-03-01T20:30:02Z")
Stupid pedantic point- The Vikings didn’t have a funeral when the dude was put in a boat, set adrift and set afire. They did sometime bury someone in a boat. One traveler mentions seeing the Rus have such a funeral once. The Rus were sorta related to the Norse. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/38 "2022-03-01T20:38:54Z")
And the Romans didn’t use little tubes that shot out little colorful balls of decorative fire, but I’m _pretty_ sure you know what I mean when I say “Roman Candle”. > **[Viking Funeral - TV Tropes](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VikingFuneral)** > > A subtrope of Burial at Sea in which the deceased (usually a warrior, but not necessarily a Viking) is laid in a boat with his effects, such as a sword, and set out to drift at sea. Then, a character (usually someone with emotional ties to the … ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2022, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/39 "2022-03-01T21:10:12Z")
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**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2022, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959/40 "2022-03-04T09:42:51Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > We _really_ need to bring back the old /smack/ emoticon from the old vBulliten boards [![](https://giraffeboards.com/images/smilies/addons/smack.gif) ](https://giraffeboards.com/images/smilies/addons/smack.gif) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-000-luxury-cars-get-a-viking-funeral/959959.md?page=3)