Nuclear submarines may survive distant nuclear blasts, but a direct hit would destroy one. Survival depends on yield, detonation location and depth; the article says crews would rise to periscope depth and set an evasive course at maximum speed, not dive deeper.
Tests in the 1950s found that a blast would need 700 pounds per square inch (psi) to damage a submarine’s hull, the article says. It estimates contemporary submarines would likely withstand 1,500 psi—the pressure it says a one-megaton underwater blast could produce 2.25 miles away.
The article says U.S. nuclear-armed submarines make up a third of the nuclear triad. Ohio-class boats carry 20 Trident II D5 missiles and are difficult to locate because they operate underwater and use tactics to avoid detection.
