Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!indri!eta!nic.MR.NET!umn-d-ub!rutgers!att!cbnews!maniac%garnet.Berkeley.EDU@
From: maniac%garnet.Berkeley.EDU@ (George W. Herbert)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Sub Launched ICBMs
Summary: solid fuel explosions info.
Message-ID: <5604@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 13 Apr 89 03:31:30 GMT
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 18
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: maniac%garnet.Berkeley.EDU@ (George W. Herbert)

In article <5549@cbnews.ATT.COM> nak@cbnews.ATT.COM (Neil A. Kirby) writes:
>	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.

By their very nature, solid fuel rockets can explode if they get cracks
in the propellant.  This is an overburning explosion, however, not a detonation.And as such, it will produce significantly less shock waves.  Probably much lessthan the pressure of water down 1200 feet.  

george william herbert
maniac@garnet.berkeley.edu