3 ms·
> nuclear depth charges Wow, that's one I haven't heard before. Sounds radical.
by Simon_says 9y ago
> nuclear depth charges
Wow, that's one I haven't heard before. Sounds radical.
- angry_octet 9y agoASROC. It was a missile that IIRC went up to 40km, then plunged into the ocean, detonating at some depth. A countermeasure to nuclear cruise missile boats, which could launch from considerable distances.
- mikeash 9y agoIt’s an interesting consequence of the fact that nuclear bomb technology got really good well before electronics and computers did. There was a period of a decade or two where the ability to put a bomb close to a target wasn’t really there, but the ability did exist to make a small bomb with a really big bang. The solution is logical even if crazy: use a nuke, and then it’s ok if you can barely get the weapon within a quarter mile of your target. Thus we saw nuclear depth charges, nuclear torpedoes, nuclear anti-aircraft missiles, nuclear anti-missile missiles, and even nuclear bazookas.