Would the wiring left on the moon be functional?

[geo7863]

Following experience with the results of fires caused by hits in action off the Falklands the RN changed the wiring spec on it's ships in the 80s. They removed miles of cables from ships already in service and changed the spec of cables for new ships. As well as giving off toxic fumes when burnig or heated conducted heat through bulkheads and decks damaged existing cables in adjacent compartments.

But, as above, this isn't something that was too much of a worry on Apollo, I don't think anyone was firing missiles at them.

Did the Type 22's and 42's have Kapton in them? I thought (I am sure I read somewhere!) that a big problem was extensive use of lightweight Magnesium Alloys in the ship construction. Lets face it the Exocet that hit Sheffield didn't explode it was just the Missile fuel that caused the massive fire...magnesium would have gone a long way to help that!.. that and the Polyester works dress trousers didn't bode well for the Matlows on board! (When I got posted to Northern Ireland in 86 we were issued with 1960's 'denims', cotton instead of Polyester, in case we got hit by a firebomb!)

[Captain Swoop]

It was the Type 21 that was the problem and to some extent the 42. They didn't use Kapton but they did have a lot of PVC in the wiring. Type 21 Amazon Class were built by Vospers who were touting for exports and lobbied to be allowed to design ships free from the apparently 'conservative' restrictions of the RN design board. They were liked by the Treasury because they were considerably cheaper than the Leanders that the RN wanted more of (Best AS and General purpose escort ever built imho). and were also seen as export winners. In the end the RN ordered 8 and they looked good and that's about it. Wikipedia has a good summery of their failings.
They shouldn't have been sent to the South Atlantic, they were just overgrown 'Gun Boats' designed to appeal to South American and Asian governments.

[George Tirebiter]

I learned from experience (by guessing the wrong answer to "what's that smell?") that burning Kapton stinks somewhat like decomposing flesh, and nothing at all like an electrical fire.

[gillianren]

Burning Kapton is . . . better?  In most circumstances?

[cjameshuff]

Burning Kapton is . . . better?  In most circumstances?

About as healthy as any good kitchen fire. It's better than PVC, which produces large quantities of hydrochloric acid when burned, but Kapton is also more likely to cause a fire due to poor abrasion resistance. Teflon is nearly as heat resistant as Kapton and handles abrasion much better. Its decomposition products will kill birds and make people sick, but if substantial amounts of Teflon insulation are being thermally decomposed, it's probably unhealthy to stick around anyway. (Note: don't leave Teflon-coated cookware empty on a hot stove.)

Silicone is probably the best thing to have in a fire, just don't breathe the silica dust that results.