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WWII Allies Tested Tidal Wave Bomb

Posted by Hemos on from the ka-blam-sploosh dept.

Bent Udder writes "According to todays' Independent, the US, Britain and New Zealand worked on plans for a bomb that could cause tsunamis during the latter part of the Second World War. The war ended before the device be put to use, but an Australian professor tested several small versions of the bombs in New Zealand in 1944. Weird, non? " I have visions of "Deep Impact" running thru my head right now.

2 of 143 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Thankfully obsolete by Demona · · Score: 3

    I really wish people would stop using the terms "united states" or other country names as if these artificial nation-state creations were actual living, breathing, thinking entities. To say that so-and-so would never do something is A) false because people will do anything if pushed hard enough or given the proper motivation, and B) inaccurate because it is people who make decisions, not nation-states. All it takes is one flake in a position of power over others to push the button.

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    Fuck Slashdot
  2. Think about it. . . . by Salgak1 · · Score: 3
    It's been said that amateurs study tactics and strategy, but professionals study logistics. This would be a case in point: a weapon aimed at a primary logistical target.

    A "tidal wave bomb", whether conventional or nuclear, could be used to devastate harbors. Why Harbors ??? Naval vessels, cargo vessels, warehouses, and trans-shipment points to road and rail routes. Often, as a bonus, you also get Petroleum refineries and/or Storage areas (known in the military as POL: Petroleum, Oil, and Lubricants) All your big logistical targets, covieniently placed in one large area. Until the advent of nuclear weapons, you couldn't take out an entire harbor area in one blow. Whereas a Tidal Wave COULD devastate an entire harbor area.

    Furthermore, if deployed by submarine, it could even be done covertly: after all, who's to say it wasn't a natural tsumami ??? AND, if used against the Japanese in WWII, could have been used for psychological operations as well: i.e. the ALLIES controlling the "Divine Wind". . .