Nuclear Depth CHarge

[2000AD]

Given the speculation on whether or not tus Brits took nuclear depth charges to the Flaklands i'm wondering.... what would the effects of a nuclear depth charge actually be?

[Sephirius]

I'm sure it would be something along the lines of 'boom'.

That being said, take a look at the bikini atoll test footage (there was an underwater blast, I think), and you're pretty close, I believe. (assuming similar yield).

[2000AD]

Wouldn't that take out the ship that launched the depth charge?

[tharkûn]

Given the speculation on whether or not tus Brits took nuclear depth charges to the Flaklands i'm wondering.... what would the effects of a nuclear depth charge actually be?

Massive pressure cavity, huge sheer forces ... generally not a good thing to be under.

Wouldn't that take out the ship that launched the depth charge?

No. When using a weapon like this you'd use a rocket or something else to launch the charge away from your own ship. I can't seem to make the footage from the SWORDFISH test to play or I'd be able to show a real one from 1962.

[Admiral Valdemar]

They usually have things like ASROC if you want nuclear capability. The Russians were notorious for nuke torpedoes and rockets, but generally, the explosion will look a lot like those French nuke tests where you see a huge white circle of foam appear and then the surface blasts up in a mountain of water, depending on depth. Any small ship above would suffer serious damage to the hull if powerful enough.

[Sea Skimmer]

Given the speculation on whether or not tus Brits took nuclear depth charges to the Flaklands i'm wondering....

They almost certainly did, simply because the ships needed to be ready for WW3 breaking out, not because anyone expected to need them against Argentina.

what would the effects of a nuclear depth charge actually be?

The destruction of any submarine within many hundreds of meters of the initiation point. On the surface it looks like this.

http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tes ... fish3b.jpg
http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tes ... ish3cs.jpg
http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tes ... fish2s.jpg

Wouldn't that take out the ship that launched the depth charge?

Nuclear depth charges aren't dropped over the stern. They are deployed using either a rocket like ASROC/SS-N-14, or dropped from fixed or rotary wing aircraft. The Royal Navy didn't have an ASW rocket system but its Nimrod ASW patrol aircraft, and specially fitted Sea Harriers could both drop the WE-177 tactical nuclear bomb. It was able to airburst for use against surface targets, and had a delay action setting, which allowed it to be used as a nuclear depth bomb.

The risk to the ship is non-existent if the weapon is properly employed, at close range you'd use a conventional torpedo or conventional depth charges. For the RN in the Falklands, the Limbo ASW mortar would also still be around.