How are depth charges dropped?
Depth charges can be dropped by ships, patrol aircraft, and helicopters . Depth charges were developed during World War I, and were one of the first effective methods of attacking a submarine underwater. They were widely used in World War I and World War II.
How deep does a depth charge have to be to kill?
By the end of the war it was assumed that a 300 lb (136 kg) depth charge had to be less than 14 feet (4 meters) from a submarine to buckle its hull, 30 feet (9 meters) to disable it, and 60 feet (20 meters) to do significant damage.
How are depth charges used in war?
Depth charges can be dropped by ships, patrol aircraft, and helicopters . Depth charges were developed during World War I, and were one of the first effective methods of attacking a submarine underwater. They were widely used in World War I and World War II. They remained part of the anti-submarine arsenals of many navies during the Cold War.
How does a depth charge kill a submarine?
The depth charge rarely exploded close enough to sink the submarine, but its shock waves loosened the submarine’s joints and damaged its instruments, thus forcing it to the surface, where it could be finished off by naval gunfire.
How do depth charges destroy submarines?
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How are depth charges deployed?
The standard method of deploying a depth charge was by running it down a rail on the aft end of a ship. Different depth charges would be set a different depths, so a nice pattern would result and the submarine would, hopefully, end up in pieces.
How much explosive is in a depth charge?
This type of depth charge contained 200 pounds (90 kg) of Torpex. The depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon intended to destroy or cripple its target submarine by the shock of exploding near it.
Are depth charges effective?
Over the first six months of the war, 4000 attacks were made with depth charges. These resulted in only 33 sinkings. However, by 1943, depth charges had about a 5% success rate. Between January and June 1943, 554 depth charge attacks were made, causing 27.5 sinkings (including shared kills).
What triggers a depth charge?
Most depth charges use high explosive charges and a fuze set to detonate the charge, typically at a specific depth. Depth charges can be dropped by ships, patrol aircraft, and helicopters.
How deep can a depth charge go?
Modern depth-charge launchers are computer-controlled mortars that can fire 400-pound (180-kg) depth charges in patterns 2,000 yards (1,800 metres) away from a ship.
How many depth charges did a ww2 destroyer carry?
The typical loadout on a fleet destroyer was about 30 depth charges, while dedicated escort ships had a very large loadout, of as many as 300 depth charges.
Do aircraft carriers have depth charges?
The Depth Charge Airstrike grants aircraft carriers a means to defend themselves against submarines, while not providing the means to seek them out and damage them in an offensive capacity.
Who invented the depth charge?
engineer Herbert TaylorIn the summer of 1916, nearly two years into the war, British naval engineer Herbert Taylor perfected the hydrostatic pistol, a weapon that could be detonated at predetermined depths underwater—hence the name “depth charge.”
What happens when a depth charge hits a submarine?
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Does the US have nuclear torpedoes?
The only nuclear warhead torpedo used by the United States was the Mark 45 torpedo. The Soviet Union widely deployed T5 nuclear torpedoes in 1958 and the U.S. deployed its Mark 45 torpedo in 1963. In 2015, there were rumors that Russia was developing a new nuclear torpedo, the Status-6.
How do submarines survive water pressure?
Most submarines have two hulls, one inside the other, to help them survive. The outer hull is waterproof, while the inner one (called the pressure hull) is much stronger and resistant to immense water pressure. The strongest submarines have hulls made from tough steel or titanium.
Do aircraft carriers have depth charges?
The Depth Charge Airstrike grants aircraft carriers a means to defend themselves against submarines, while not providing the means to seek them out and damage them in an offensive capacity.
How did the depth charge impact ww1?
The year the U.K. introduced depth charges, they sank two German submarines, or U-boats. By 1918, after production of the bombs ramped up, depth charges had sunk more than 20 U-boats, curtailing the Germans' ability to attack surface ships. (A total of about 390 German U-boats were used during the war.)
How many depth charges did a World War II destroyer carry?
The typical loadout on a fleet destroyer was about 30 depth charges, while dedicated escort ships had a very large loadout, of as many as 300 depth charges. The Japanese also developed air-deliverable depth bombs.
How many depth charges did a Fletcher class destroyer carry?
The answer that came back was that five 5 in (127 mm) dual-purpose guns, twelve torpedoes, and twenty-eight depth charges would be ideal, while a return to the 1,500-ton designs of the past was seen as undesirable.
How far can a depth charge be fired?
Modern depth-charge launchers are computer-controlled mortars that can fire 400-pound (180-kg) depth charges in patterns 2,000 yards (1,800 metres) away from a ship. Atomic depth charges are fitted with a nuclear warheadand have a vastly increased killing radius because of their great explosive power. Other depth charges have been developed that can be launched from aircraft.
What was the first depth charge?
The first depth charges were developed by the British in World War I for use against German submarines. They consisted of a canister filled with explosives that was rolled or dropped off the stern of a ship in the presumed vicinity of the submerged submarine. The canister would sink through the water, and its explosive charge would be detonated ...
How did the depth charge affect the submarine?
The depth charge rarely exploded close enough to sink the submarine, but its shock waves loosened the submarine’s joints and damaged its instruments, thus forcing it to the surface, where it could be finished off by naval gunfire.
How far did the Hedgehog charge go?
The Royal Navy’s Hedgehog depth charge of World War IIconsisted of a salvo of 24 small high-explosive bombs that could be launched to a distance of 250 yards (228 metres) and which exploded on contact as they sank through the water. Other, more conventional depth charges weighing as much as 3,000 pounds (1,360 kg) were used in World War II.
What was the depth charge?
The depth charge was the basic antisubmarine weapon of the Second World War. It was a large (200 lb/90 kg or more) explosive charge with a fuse that could be set to explode the charge at the estimated depth of the submarine. At very close range, the resulting shock wave was capable of buckling a submarine pressure hull, resulting in catastrophic failure and the destruction of the submarine. Such close detonations proved difficult to achieve, and the submarine usually had to be battered to death with dozens of depth charges.
How did the depth charge attack affect the submarine?
Until quite late in the war, there was no way for a submarine to effectively counterattack an antisubmarine vessel dropping depth charges on its position, and the submarine could only take evasive maneuvers and hope for the best . The nearby detonation of a depth charge produced a sharp metallic bang from the shock wave hitting the submarine hull, followed by a much louder boom from the sound waves from the explosion. The closer the depth charge, the closer together the bang and the boom were. If they were nearly simultaneous, they might be the last sounds the crew ever heard.
How much did the British depth charge weigh?
This depth charge weighed 570 lbs (259 kg) and carried 290 lbs (132 kg) of Amatol capable of disabling a submarine at 40' (12m) distance.
How many depth charges did the Japanese use?
The typical loadout on a fleet destroyer was about 30 depth charges, while dedicated escort ships had a very large loadout, of as many as 300 depth charges.
How deep can a Type 15 fuse be?
The Type 15 fuse could set for any depth up to 50 feet (15m), though the selection had to be made when the bomb was loaded on the aircraft. Other fuses were preset for 80, 150, or 300 feet (26, 46, or 91m). The last corresponded to a time delay of 17 seconds.
How did the shock wave affect the depth charge?
An experienced submarine commander could use the interval between the bang and boom to estimate how far away the depth charge was, which aided evasion. Certain sonar sets were also capable of determining the distance to the charge, as well as its approximate direction, though the latter were not available until 1944. The initial shock wave was responsible for most of the damage from a depth charge, but the bubble of hot gas produced by a depth charge explosion underwent violent oscillations that produced secondary pressure pulses. Though these were much weaker than the initial shock wave, they were also much longer in duration, and may have contributed significantly to the destructiveness of the depth charge near the limits of its lethal radius.
How many submarines did the Japanese lose to the depth charge attack?
It was likely lower against U.S. submarines, given the depth limitations of early Japanese depth charges. Less than 22 U.S. submarines were lost to depth charge attack in the Pacific, while the Japanese lost as many as 85 submarines to depth charge attack.
How much pressure would a U-boat rupture?
"Although the explosions of the standard United States 600 lb (270 kg) Mark 4 and Mark 7 depth charge used in World War II were nerve-wracking to the target, a U-boat's undamaged pressure hull would not rupture unless the charge detonated closer than about 15 ft (4.6 m)."
What happens if a critical part fails?
The consequences of the failure of a critical part or pipe can create damage such as loss of depth control, the loss of propulsion, loss of lighting and electrical systems and the leakage or water oil or hydraulic fluid into the sub’s interior.
Japanese Depth Charges
American Depth Charges
- The Americans began the war with two types of depth charges. TheMark 6 depth charge had a 300 lb (136 kg) charge of TNT and could beset to explode at 30 to 300 feet (9 to 90 meters). The sinking rate was8 feet per second (2.4 m/s). The U.S. Navy conducted tests with theMark 6 and optimistically concluded that it would inflict fatal damage within 30 feet (10meters), serious dama…
British Depth Charges
- The British entered the Pacific War with the Mark 7 Heavy depth charge, which was based on the earlier Mark 7 but with a heavy cast iron ballast attached. This depth charge weighed 570 lbs (259 kg) and carried 290 lbs (132 kg) of Amatol capable of disabling a submarine at 40' (12m) distance. Sink rate was 16.8 feet per second (5.1 m/s). The fuse could be set for depths up to 1000' (305m…
Depth Charge Delivery Systems
- National Archives #19-N-84437 The oldest method for delivering depth charges was simply to rollthem off the stern of a ship as it passed over the estimated locationof the submarine.Destroyers were equipped with one or two depth chargeracks equipped to drop the charges one at a time on command. NavWeaps.com. Fair use may apply. A weakness of depth …