From: dpe@inel.gov (Don Palmrose)
Subject: Re: Damage a Nuke Sub can take? - sci.military #18988
Organization: INEL EG&G Idaho
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 16:35:35 GMT


From dpe@inel.gov (Don Palmrose)

In article <BvFzLJ.LF@lawday.DaytonOH.NCR.COM>, Simon Richard Cole <Simon.Cole@comp.vuw.ac.nz> writes:
> 
>   How much chance is there of the nukes being set off or radiation released by the
>   warhead?
>

Both U-235 and Pu-239 are beta or alpha emitters when they decay.  These forms
of radiation are only hazardous when they are ingested or inhaled.  Pu-239
has been mis-stated as being extremely toxic ("the most dangerous substance
known to man....") by many anti-nukes but this is not true.  A gram of cyanide
will kill you quicker than a 1 gram of Pu-239 if it could kill you at all by
cancer.

The biggest danger with bullets flying around is 1) the warhead or missile
nose must be in the open since the launch tube is made of thick steel and I
have extreme doubts as to a bullet being able to penetrate that launch tube
and 2) if a bullet should hit the warhead the danger is not for a atomic 
explosion but rather setting off the chemical explosives that make up the 
weapon.  Whether it would be large or have enough energy released to rupture
the hull is anybody's guess since if such studies have been done, I am certain
that the US Navy is not going to release the findings ;-).
   
>   My impression of nuke weapons is that they have so many safeguards built in
>   such as an inability to explode within certain range of the launching submarine
>   and reactor vessels so strongly made that there would be little chance of
>   radiation release from an explosion through the hull from the depth charge or
>   torpedo.
>   
>   Does anyone out there have any info on the approximate ability of nuke warheads
>   and reactor vessels to withstand damage while keeping their contents intact.
> 
>

This discussion went on a few months ago, so I will try to summerize for you
the end results.  The chance of breaching the hull would be good but to also
breach the reactor vessel would not be very likely.  There are several layers
of steel walls and structural members to give this area of the sub lots of
strength and the reactor vessel is more than a half of a foot thick.  Plus as 
long as there is water (such as sea water after the sub had broken apart) 
there will be enough cooling next to the reactor vessel to prevent any melt 
through of the vessel.  In the case of USS Threasher lost in the mid 1960's, 
the reactor vessel buried itself into the ocean floor and to the best of my 
knowledge there has not been any measurable release of radioactivity after 
more than 25 years on the bottom. 

As for the warheads, the explosion of a direct hit will at worst break them up
into chucks and pieces.  The nuclear material is a metal and highly pure so
they would most likely slowly oxidize in the sea water after settling on the
bottom of the ocean.  As far as whether they would stay intact, there are too
many variables to really say (i.e. location and size of the explosion, how
good is the structure of the submarine to withstand the breach of the pressure
hull, etc.) so your guess is as good as mine.  Again, if studies have been 
made in the past, we will not be privy to them ;-).

Don Palmrose
"I'd rather not serve on a ship designed to sink...."





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