Can a submarine outrun a torpedo?
If the target range is long enough, the sub can outlast the torpedo - the torpedo will run out of fuel before it gets to the target (a torpedo might have 1/2 hour's worth of fuel onboard). So that means the sub could outrun the the torpedo at an “alertment” range of 12.5 NM, or 25,000 yards.
With advancements in technology, a modern torpedo can destroy a target at a range of 40 km and a speed of about 50 kts.
Can a submarine survive a torpedo hit? Usually not. A ship has a lot of reserve buoyancy, but a submarine does not. If she is holed, she loses buoyancy very quickly and sinks.
The Mark 48 and its improved Advanced Capability (ADCAP) variant are American heavyweight submarine-launched torpedoes. They were designed to sink deep-diving nuclear-powered submarines and high-performance surface ships.
Those present believed that the noise level to be greater than 100 decibels. On a subsequent trial in 1970 at full power, K-222 reached 44.7 knots (82.8 km/h; 51.4 mph), the fastest speed attained underwater by a manned object and making K-222 the world's fastest submarine.
But when they're deep underwater, submarines and submersibles do not use satellite internet to communicate with the surface above. These craft rely on sound waves (a type of "mechanical" wave) to communicate simple messages like location from the dark depths.
Although the actual top speed of American naval vessels is a secret, modern submarines travel faster than 30 knots underwater. Submarines are carefully designed to enhance their speed.
The VA-111 Shkval (from Russian: шквал, squall) torpedo and its descendants are supercavitating torpedoes originally developed by the Soviet Union. They are capable of speeds in excess of 200 knots (370 km/h or 230 miles/h).
This extreme form of a genuine human torpedo carried a second torpedo underneath, which was launched at the target. Speed: 4 knots (7.4 km/h), and about 10 hours at 3 knots. One seat. This manned torpedo was named after its inventor Richard Mohr.
When a submersible is deep in the ocean it experiences the force on its surface due to water pressure. When this force becomes larger than the force hull can withstand, the vessel implodes violently.
Has a submarine ever killed another submarine?
Submerged submarines have sunk many of their kind on the surface; but, in aU history, there has only been a single instance of one submarine sinking another when both boats were dived – and that was towards the end of World War . The victim was U-864 and the attacker, HMS VENTURER.
It is at a higher pressure than outside so the air and pressure would rush out. A submarine is much thicker and a bullet is much less likely to penetrate. It is at a much lower pressure than outside so the water would rush in.

STEVE WALSH, BYLINE: In April 1963, one of the Navy's first nuclear submarines imploded off the New England coast, killing 129 people. Something caused the sub to sink beyond its rated depth until it was crushed under the pressure, says James Bryant, a retired submarine captain.
Unlike a ship, a submarine can control its buoyancy, thus allowing it to sink and surface at will. To control its buoyancy, the submarine has ballast tanks and auxiliary, or trim tanks, that can be alternately filled with water or air (see animation below).
What happens if you shoot a gun in a submarine? Aboard your hypothetical submarine, a pistol bullet might penetrate and damage any one of hundreds of electronic or mechanical devices. However, nothing designed to resist sea pressure, such as the hull or valvework, would be penetrated or seriously damaged.
On 10 April 1963, Thresher sank during deep-diving tests about 350 km (220 mi) east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, killing all 129 crew and shipyard personnel aboard.
What is the Longest a Submarine Has Stayed Submerged? The longest a submarine has ever stayed submerged is 111 days.
Torpedoes are made for range and speed underwater, so guessing how one would perform sliding over icy terrain is a bit tougher to track. What's the verdict, then? In a straight-up race, a car on a normal surface beats a submarine underwater, no question. The cars would also beat out most torpedoes, it seems like, too.
The temperature of the ocean surrounding the submarine is typically 39 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius). The metal of the submarine conducts internal heat to the surrounding water. So, submarines must be electrically heated to maintain a comfortable temperature for the crew.
Aboard fast-attack submarines, two bathrooms - each with four toilets and two urinals - serve 100 crew members. Crew chiefs and officers use another three baths. Designating one bath for a small number of women could disadvantage scores of men, while making them unisex raises other problems.
Do US submarines have windows?
No, that's correct. It wasn't a design that caught on with the US, but Russian and Chinese subs have that for sure. The sail is outside of the pressure hill. The pressure bill on a military sub will not have windows.
The maximum depth recorded during this record-setting dive was 10,908 metres (35,787 ft). Measured by Cameron, at the moment of touchdown, the depth was 10,898 m (35,756 ft).
In a World War II-era boat, the whole operation could take as little as 30 seconds with a well-trained crew. In contrast, an Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine may take as long as five minutes to reach periscope depth from the surface.
Torpedoes used by underwater submarines produce more than just an explosive sound upon detonation. After an initial firing, the sound of the outer hatch can be heard closing. The torpedo can then be heard moving through the water to the target. The length of this sound is dependant upon the distance of the target.
Submarines. Established reports and manufacturer's claims indicate that a handful of submarines are capable of speeds exceeding 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph).
Crush depth
Sometimes referred to as the "collapse depth" in the United States, this is the submerged depth at which the submarine implodes due to water pressure.
Torpedoes are faster than naval vessels. If a torpedo is launched close to a naval vessel, it will quickly catch up to a the naval vessel. However, if a torpedo is launched at a long distance from a naval vessel and detected early, a fast naval vessel may keep ahead of the torpedo until the torpedo runs out of fuel.
Supercavitating Torpedoes: What We Know
Russia's VA-111 Shkval is a supercavitating torpedo reported by Russian press to achieve speed of 230 miles per hour, a speed more than four times speeds listed for most legacy torpedoes which travel anywhere from 28 to 48 Mph.
The ocean could be affected by high tsunami and/or pressure waves in the case of a large asteroid or comet impact. Most current submarines can survive at a depth of 400 m, so they might survive long pressure spikes created by the waves above them as high as 200–400 m, but not kilometer size waves.
Assuming the sub was submerged, and not in shallow water, the sub would be just fine. Out in blue water, the tsunami passes at near mach 1, and barely makes a ripple in the water.
Can the ocean crush a submarine?
The pressure at the bottom of the ocean can be 1,130 kilograms per square centimeter (16,000 pounds per square inch). Thats enough to crush submarines, so the cabins ability to withstand pressure is important for the crew inside!
Bauer, Witt, and Thomsen were the first three submariners ever to successfully escape a submarine. They did it in the year 1851, and they did it through a mastery of the scientific principles of the underwater world. The Brandtaucher was plucked out of its mud hole in the ocean and conserved.
The nuclear-powered Project 949A Antey (Oscar II class) submarine K-141 Kursk sank in an accident on 12 August 2000 in the Barents Sea. It was taking part in the first major Russian naval exercise in more than 10 years. All 118 personnel on board were killed.
At least two Russian submarines have experienced meltdowns, see here and here, though this was while they were floating not when they were sunk. The Kursk was a nuclear submarine and it's reactor core was recovered more or less intact so any meltdown was minor if it happened at all.
US submarines carry a small number of firearms for the officers, senior NCOs and the small number of enlisted sailors whose battle station duties including guarding the vessel and/or its weaponry. These are stored in the ship's tiny armory and they are rarely withdrawn (it's a LOT of paperwork if they get used).
Because of the turbulence from very large waves from these megastorms, the waves may be large enough to force a sub to drop further in the water column than it should. If the ocean bottom is too close then the sub may crash.
A submarine can easily survive a hurricane. All of that wind and turbulence and waves are on the surface. 50 meters below, the water acts as if almost nothing is happening. Submarines routinely swim underneath very nasty storms.
Nuclear-powered submarines have thicker hulls than their diesel-powered counterparts due to the increased internal pressure from the nuclear reactor. The thickness can range from 10 to 25 cm (4 to 10 inches).
On 18 June 2023, Titan, a submersible operated by American tourism and expeditions company OceanGate, imploded during an expedition to view the wreck of Titanic in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
When a diver swims to the surface too quickly (a rapid ascent), the nitrogen can form tiny bubbles in the blood and/or body tissues, causing decompression sickness (DCS). DCS may occur even if a person dives within the limits of their dive computer or decompression tables and even if they complete a safety stop.
Can you still get the bends in a submarine?
Submarines have a rigid outer shell which allows the air inside to remain at atmospheric pressure even at great depth. So as long as the poor sailors can hold their breath all the way up, then there is pretty much no risk of the bends.
The wings are so arranged that the water moves over the stern area, pushing it upwards and thus aligning the submarine in a downward angle.
But quite the contrary – gunpowder contains its own oxidizer that enables guns to fire in airless environments, such as underwater, and perhaps even outer space. What is worth noting, however, is that the gunshot will not be heard because there isn't any air for the sound waves to travel through.
The characteristics are shown in Table 1.1. No armor protection, laid on the surface of seafloor, submarine conditions are relatively safe.
Most submarine deck guns were open, with or without a shield; however, a few larger submarines placed these guns in a turret. The main deck gun was a dual-purpose weapon used to sink merchant shipping or shell shore targets, or defend the submarine on the surface from enemy aircraft and warships.
The U.S. Navy's AN/SLQ-25E “NIXIE” countermeasure is a towed device designed to lure away a guided torpedo from its intended target, far enough that the torpedo's warhead is detonated a safe distance away.
If a submerged submarine is hit by a torpedo, chances are it will either result in catastrophic damage, or compromise of hull integrity. At the very least, the submarine is likely to be damaged enough to be out of the game.
The answer is of course, that one torpedo can sink a ship regardless of her size. Let's turn to some historical examples where this happened. On November 13, 1941, Force H was returning to Gibraltar after relocating aircraft to Malta.
Supercavitating Torpedoes: What We Know
Russia's VA-111 Shkval is a supercavitating torpedo reported by Russian press to achieve speed of 230 miles per hour, a speed more than four times speeds listed for most legacy torpedoes which travel anywhere from 28 to 48 Mph.
Zig-zagging confounded the enemy's efforts to track a convoy's route, speed, range, and position. Submarine captains couldn't be sure how to position their boats to fire their torpedoes with effect. Sailing with their British allies, US ships adopted the practice, which continued through World War II.
How do U.S. Navy ships defend against torpedoes?
Combined, TWS and CAT are referred to as the Anti-Torpedo Torpedo Defensive System (ATTDS). TWS is being built as an early warning system to detect, localize, classify, and alert on incoming threat torpedoes. CAT is a hard-kill countermeasure intended to neutralize threat torpedoes.
Specifically, the torpedo ran deeper than set depths. They exploded prematurely, sometimes close to the submarine immediately after arming, sometimes near the target, the blast simulating a hit, but not near enough to inflict crippling damage. Or they might be duds, striking the target, and failing to explode.
STEVE WALSH, BYLINE: In April 1963, one of the Navy's first nuclear submarines imploded off the New England coast, killing 129 people. Something caused the sub to sink beyond its rated depth until it was crushed under the pressure, says James Bryant, a retired submarine captain.
Bauer, Witt, and Thomsen were the first three submariners ever to successfully escape a submarine. They did it in the year 1851, and they did it through a mastery of the scientific principles of the underwater world. The Brandtaucher was plucked out of its mud hole in the ocean and conserved.
Any vessel with a catastrophic hull breach would experience a rapid change in pressure from one atmosphere to hundreds, in an instant. It would be like having 2,500 elephants stand on you all at the same time. Implosions aren't as flashy as their more extroverted siblings, but they are just as destructive.
Nuclear submarines are surface independent, and could provide energy, oxygen, fresh water and perhaps even food for their inhabitants for years. They are able to withstand close nuclear explosions and radiation.
Survival of the initial event is effectively 100% as that's what submarines are designed to do. However, surviving out at sea is limited by the food supply on-board.