Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!att!cbnews!nak@cbnews.ATT.COM
From: nak@cbnews.ATT.COM (Neil A. Kirby)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Sub Launched ICBMs
Message-ID: <5549@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 11 Apr 89 05:23:16 GMT
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
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From: nak@cbnews.ATT.COM (Neil A. Kirby)

	They aren't too far under the water when they launch, and they
    aren't standing still.  At least that's what the PR film for the
    Tomahawk showed when I saw it.  You couldn't see the sub, but the water
    wasn't still.  Who knows what shenanigans General Dynamics did when
    filming it though.

	I've read that the propellant for trident and other missiles is by
    itself quite a bomb if something bad happens to it.  If this happens 
    under water [shouldn't, rocket doesn't ignite till it gets above the
    water] say from a missile that failed and fell back, then the sub is in
    for a severe pounding, if not destruction, from the blast.  Think about
    how much energy it takes to lob a few tons of warheads halfway around
    the globe.  One heck of a depth charge, I'd say, if it went off.


    Neil Kirby
    ...cbsck!nak