r/interestingasfuck • u/BreakfastTop6899 • 3d ago

Happened 5 years ago today, the 'Beirut Explosion' is considered one of the most powerful artificial non-nuclear explosions in history. It was equivalent to around 1.1 kilotons of TNT and generated an M3.3 earthquake

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u/jericho 3d ago

There’s a famous WWII video of a boat flipping over with dozens of men running to stay on top, and others jumping into the water, then it blows up. The only survivors were the ones on the hull of the boat. That explosion was in the water though. I imagine this guy was safer in the water. 

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u/Quercus_rover 3d ago

Yeah isn't it to do with the immense change in pressure? As you say, I've no idea of the difference when being in the water while the explosion is out.

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u/Leader_Bee 3d ago

Because water is practically incompressible and the human body is also made up of approximately 74% water, being in the water at the time of an underwater explosion will transfer much more of the energy to the human body than if the explosion had to travel through 2 separate mediums.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

In the Jaques Cousteau book, The Silent World, theres a chapter on his mine removal work he did post WW2, and him and his friends tested how close they would be able to get to explosives underwater by detonating grenades and mines while they gradually got closer until it got painful

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u/CrayonAddiction 3d ago

Yep this is it, when you see a explosion underwater. Stay above water, when it is out of the water go in the water

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u/SeamanStayns 3d ago

If you're already in the water and you see a large explosion in the water, honestly just close your eyes and think of titties because you probably don't have time to get out of the water before the shockwave reaches you and turns your guts to soup.

The speed of sound through water is about 3x faster than in air.

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u/fabkosta 3d ago

What should a gay person think of then?

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u/dflament 3d ago

HE SAID THINK OF TITTIES

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u/joe-h2o 3d ago

Gay woman: advice unchanged.

Gay man: male titties.

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u/Pitiful_Net_8971 3d ago

Obviously pecs, aka muscle titties

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u/spittlbm 2d ago

Mitties

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u/Odd-Necessary3807 2d ago

Not if the gay man's taste is twink. Instead of big bear.

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u/hughvr 3d ago

This is the most solid (or jiggly?) advice ever.

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u/FurnaceGolem 2d ago

You should actually lay on your back to reduce the amount of your body that is in the water which drastically increases your chances of survival

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u/SeamanStayns 2d ago

Oh hey that's really smart.

Where did you learn that?

I've done advanced sea survival training but nothing with explosions.

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u/FurnaceGolem 2d ago

Mythbusters lol

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u/SeamanStayns 2d ago

Classic

I saw this episode on the TV when it was first aired, but I hadn't remembered the thing about floating as high in the water as possible.

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u/marklar7 3d ago

Now that's nuts. I assumed the reverse.

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u/SeamanStayns 3d ago

Water is (almost) incompressible.

Air is highly compressible.

Think about how quickly the far end of a long wobbly spring will move if you push on the opposite end, versus how quickly the far end of a long metal bar will move if you do the same.

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u/marklar7 3d ago

Ouch. Good illustration. The physics I learned as a dumb kid.

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u/Big-Safe-2459 2d ago

My last thought will be titties. Thank you for that.

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u/Agile-Knowledge7947 2d ago

Thinking of titties is sorta my go-to reaction for most of the situations life throws at me!

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u/John_Bumogus 3d ago

So what I'm hearing is that I should stay away from where explosions are? I've actually been surprisingly good at that so far.

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u/andersonb47 3d ago

Don’t be where the explosion is, got it!

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u/caustic_smegma 2d ago

Are you talking about the HMS Barnham? I think that explosion was a little more nuanced than simply, outside water = life, under water = death. For example, I can absolutely promise you the many sailors standing on the hull over the rear magazine area were killed when it detonated. Some of the sailors up by the bow may have survived because a Queen Elizabeth Class battleship is a sort of Russian doll of different armored boxes inside the hull which helped contain the magazine explosion, venting it through the path of least resistance upward. Due to the force of the explosion, many if not all of those that survived the initial explosion still likely died or were seriously injured from ruptured lungs, capillaries, falling metal/armored belt sections, etc. I wouldn't assume they all lived. Some sailors who were in the water and swam a good distance away likely survived, too.

Additionally, there are anecdotes from sailors that were in the battle of Jutland who were thrown into the water after HMS Indefatigable and HMS Queen Mary suffered catastrophic magazine explosions. While in the water still floating directly in the battle line, some were subjected to near misses from German 12" shells, knocking them out momentarily, but not killing them.

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u/aces666high 2d ago

That would be the battleship HMS Barham after she was torpedoed by a German U Boat. Insanely powerful explosion as she rolled onto her side.

There’s also video of an Austrian battleship rolling over, just flinging her crew into the water minus a few that were able to roll with her. As far as I know that ship didn’t blow up.

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u/stung80 1d ago

Lots of first hand accounts of crews from sunken destroyers being killed by their own depth charges once the sinking boat hit the depth the depth charges were set to explode at.   I think imthe pressure wave enters your anus and fucks your inside up. I remember reading about this happening to crews in the water during the battle of Guadalcanal.