What happens to a nuclear reactor in a sub when the sub is hit by a missile?

Zephyrhills South

As in, is it destroyed to and then contaminates the ocean? Or does it just sit on the ocean floor and do nothing?



Carlton

There have been 2 US Nuclear Submarines lost at sea and there was little or no radioactive leakage detected from them, they were not hit by missiles. There have been several Soviet Subs lost at sea, I do not know if any leakage has been detected on them. I have not heard of any, but they were not hit by missiles either. The reactor is designed to "scram" on loss of electrical power, which stops the fission process and there is an emergency cooling system which works on convection that should keep the core cool enough to prevent a meltdown. I was a reactor operator on US Navy nuclear submarines. I have no direct knowledge of Russian / Soviet designs.



Remsen

It might meltdown depending if it hit the cooling funtion (like the towers or the cooling ponds) or if it puncure the reactor. But submarines are well armored, I my opion it would just sink in most cases. I know that atleast one nuke sub has be downed, I think russian.



Eatonville

Unless the core were to take a direct hit, it would probably automatically scram and shut down if the sub was damaged severely enough. The worst that would happen would be a direct hit, scattering pieces of the core in the immediate area, where it would sink to the bottom and be radioactive for a long time. The environmental impact would be local to the spot, affecting whatever denizens of the deep would happen to live there. There would be no impact anywhere else. The likelihood of a meltdown or critical event is remote.



Pensacola

well first the would probably be a big KABOOM! and then all the surrounding water would be contaminated and then the contaminated water would circulate and contaminate the rest of the water leaving the water from the ocean total unusable due to contamination.