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From: maniac%garnet.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (George W. Herbert)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Sub Launched ICBMs
Summary: Shallow water=less shockwave
Message-ID: <5699@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 18 Apr 89 02:52:34 GMT
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
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From: maniac%garnet.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (George W. Herbert)

In article <5668@cbnews.ATT.COM> dale@cs.odu.edu (Dale Ross Maurice) writes:
>: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.  
>
>Ahh, but... If you will remember your physics you'll recall the the presure
>of an explosion underwater would be greatly multiplied.

The pressure of a deep-water explosion is so multiplied.  If the missile is
poking its nose out of the water it will vent the energy mostly that way.  And
SLBM's are launched from shallow enough that the energy should go mostly
up.  

Note that I don't claim that subs are invulnerable to such damage: i merely
want to point out that they're a lot more survivable than you might think.

george william herbert
maniac...