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The suggestion is the sub may have been carrying a Cobalt Bomb, a nuclear weapon encased in cobalt to increase fallout. In the case of a water detonation I'm gu

The suggestion is the sub may have been carrying a Cobalt Bomb, a nuclear weapon encased in cobalt to increase fallout. In the case of a water detonation I'm guessing massive radioactive contamination that would end sea life for a large area - perhaps even planetary. Pure speculation to fit the "planetary catastrophe" remark. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobalt_bomb https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobalt_bomb https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-media-nuclear-torpedo-can-destroy-the-us-europe-the-world-2019-1?r=US&IR=T https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-media-nuclear-torped...

RomanBob 7y ago
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_disposal_of_radioactive_waste https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_disposal_of_radioactive_... A truly massive amount of radioactive material has been dumped into the ocean. No amount of 'cobalt bomb' or other fantasy devices will appreciably affect the truly large (geological scale) ocean. Even if you dump every nuclear reactor, nuclear waste, nuclear fuel and blow up every nuke in the ocean, that will simply not seriously affect the ocean.
benj111 7y ago
That seems a stretch? I would put it into the category of tribute to fallen comrades. Nice guy, good soldier. The type of thing that almost certainly isnt true for all dead soldiers.
- saberdancer 7y ago
  Exactly. It's much better to say they died valiantly saving everyone than to say that for example, someone lit up a cigarette that started a fire and then they realized half of oxygen masks wasn't working. Losharik is a type of a spy sub, probably intended to tap into undersea cables. There shouldn't be a "wonder weapon" on the ship.
  - petre 7y ago
    None of the leaked diagrams of the Losharik show any torpedo or missile tubes. The "bomb" hypothesis is pure speculation. However, they show a hydraulic manipulator and skegs, so it's clearly designed to tamper with stuff on the sea floor (eg. submarine communications cables).
flukus 7y ago
I don't understand how they made the jump from "200 mega-tonne tsunami bomb" to cobalt bomb. I'm certainly no nuclear physicist, but I thought a cobalt bomb was purely to spread radioactivity and had effect on the strength of the bomb. Even a nuclear bomb creating a tsunami seems quite questionable, as does a fire setting it off. The whole thing just seems like an odd mix of Russian propaganda, crazy conspiracy theories and scientific misunderstanding.
- arethuza 7y ago
  I suspect a "cobalt bomb" would be less effective in terms of explosive yield than an equivalent normal multi stage weapon design - the neutrons from the fusion reaction in the secondary being used to activate the cobalt rather than into fissioning the fissile jacket of the secondary where most modern weapon designs actually get most yield.
- pdkl95 7y ago
  > a nuclear bomb creating a tsunami seems quite questionable, Yes, a "trunami bomb" is nonsense. We've done underwater nuclear tests (e.g. operation Hardtack's Wahoo test). Water pressure prevents most of the physically destructive effects[2][3]. (it does make the local water radioactive for a while, but much less than the fallout generated by the same bomb on land. (water is a better at absorbing radiation than air) The idea that it might produce a tsunami is anti-nuclear fear mongering and/or baseless paranoia. > as does a fire setting it off The could only hypothetically be possible if the bomb was a "gun" design, which was quickly abandoned after the trinity test proved implosion designs were possible, because the "gun" method was inherently risky. (too easy to accidentally detonate the conventional explosives) (gun designs also had a high-ish risk of "fizzling", because they might not hold the critical mass together long enough) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Hardtack_I#Underwater_tests https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Hardtack_I#Underwate... [2] https://what-if.xkcd.com/15/ https://what-if.xkcd.com/15/ [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tbxDgcv74c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tbxDgcv74c
jacobush 7y ago
A tsunami creating nuclear submarine drone targeting Europe? And suddenly, the "Floodland" album by Sisters of Mercy feels eerily relevant again. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floodland_(album) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floodland_(album)
deleted 7y ago
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RomanBob 7y ago

>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_disposal_of_radioactive_waste https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_disposal_of_radioactive_... A truly massive amount of radioactive material has been dumped into the ocean. No amount of 'cobalt bomb' or other fantasy devices will appreciably affect the truly large (geological scale) ocean. Even if you dump every nuclear reactor, nuclear waste, nuclear fuel and blow up every nuke in the ocean, that will simply not seriously affect the ocean.

benj111 7y ago

That seems a stretch? I would put it into the category of tribute to fallen comrades. Nice guy, good soldier. The type of thing that almost certainly isnt true for all dead soldiers.

saberdancer 7y ago
Exactly. It's much better to say they died valiantly saving everyone than to say that for example, someone lit up a cigarette that started a fire and then they realized half of oxygen masks wasn't working. Losharik is a type of a spy sub, probably intended to tap into undersea cables. There shouldn't be a "wonder weapon" on the ship.
- petre 7y ago
  None of the leaked diagrams of the Losharik show any torpedo or missile tubes. The "bomb" hypothesis is pure speculation. However, they show a hydraulic manipulator and skegs, so it's clearly designed to tamper with stuff on the sea floor (eg. submarine communications cables).

flukus 7y ago

I don't understand how they made the jump from "200 mega-tonne tsunami bomb" to cobalt bomb. I'm certainly no nuclear physicist, but I thought a cobalt bomb was purely to spread radioactivity and had effect on the strength of the bomb. Even a nuclear bomb creating a tsunami seems quite questionable, as does a fire setting it off. The whole thing just seems like an odd mix of Russian propaganda, crazy conspiracy theories and scientific misunderstanding.

arethuza 7y ago
I suspect a "cobalt bomb" would be less effective in terms of explosive yield than an equivalent normal multi stage weapon design - the neutrons from the fusion reaction in the secondary being used to activate the cobalt rather than into fissioning the fissile jacket of the secondary where most modern weapon designs actually get most yield.
pdkl95 7y ago
> a nuclear bomb creating a tsunami seems quite questionable, Yes, a "trunami bomb" is nonsense. We've done underwater nuclear tests (e.g. operation Hardtack's Wahoo test). Water pressure prevents most of the physically destructive effects[2][3]. (it does make the local water radioactive for a while, but much less than the fallout generated by the same bomb on land. (water is a better at absorbing radiation than air) The idea that it might produce a tsunami is anti-nuclear fear mongering and/or baseless paranoia. > as does a fire setting it off The could only hypothetically be possible if the bomb was a "gun" design, which was quickly abandoned after the trinity test proved implosion designs were possible, because the "gun" method was inherently risky. (too easy to accidentally detonate the conventional explosives) (gun designs also had a high-ish risk of "fizzling", because they might not hold the critical mass together long enough) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Hardtack_I#Underwater_tests https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Hardtack_I#Underwate... [2] https://what-if.xkcd.com/15/ https://what-if.xkcd.com/15/ [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tbxDgcv74c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tbxDgcv74c

jacobush 7y ago

A tsunami creating nuclear submarine drone targeting Europe? And suddenly, the "Floodland" album by Sisters of Mercy feels eerily relevant again. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floodland_(album) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floodland_(album)

deleted 7y ago

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