Comment by tinthedev
14 hours ago
Wonderful article. Reminds me of my experience scuba diving in Croatia. My group and I were doing a seabed waste-collection dive, and part of it was an obligatory training on ordnance. The sea there has had a fair few wars and conflicts.
I remember being astounded by how the water "amplifies" the explosions - so while a hand grenade blast is very dangerous on the surface, under the sea it becomes far more horrific prospect, due to the water transferring the blast more efficiently. Nerve wracking stuff, when you're thinking about diving down there - imagining that a bomb dozens of meters away could pulverize you.
Still pretty rare, thankfully. I applaud the diver bomb disposal squads - some of the most dangerous work there is.
> I remember being astounded by how the water "amplifies" the explosions - so while a hand grenade blast is very dangerous on the surface, under the sea it becomes far more horrific prospect, due to the water transferring the blast more efficiently.
Curiously, it is exactly the opposite in many video games. In video games water often protects you from the explosion. I wonder, where did this trope came from...
It is more correct to say that air because it compresses dissipates explosions. Water doesn't amplify them, but it is still going to be a lot worse than air.
My guess is water protects from nuclear radiation and they get confused. Anyone else want to guess where the trope came from?
If you're a diver in the water, the water transmits the shockwave very effectively, and is dangerous.
If you're outside the water, the density difference between air and water acts to diffuse the shockwave.
Water is a really good absorbent of explosive energy (as long as you're not also in the same water).
1 reply →
Roughly speaking, air/liquid interfaces are excellent protection from explosions, and more are better.
The torpedo defense systems in the most advanced WWII battleships & carriers were about 5 layers thick: sea (may contain enemy mines & torpedoes) | empty compartment (air gap) | ballast/fuel tank | air gap | ballast/fuel tank | yet another air gap | important stuff (engine rooms, powder magazines, whatever)
And to be reasonably effective, each air & fluid layer needs a certain thickness - which scales roughly with the size of the explosive charge.