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Worldbuilding

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    $\begingroup$ A conventional sub fires a nuclear torpedo into the center of a naval task force. The target ship goes up in a massive explosion. The nearest two or three ships are heavily damaged, and are likely to sink if damage-control is unable to stop the leaks; regardless, the crews of those ships will die of radiation poisoning over the next few days. The rest of the fleet is lightly damaged at most, and most cases of radiation poisoning are survivable. See Crossroads Baker, and note that the ships are more densely packed than an actual fleet. $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 16, 2025 at 1:38
  • $\begingroup$ @Mark, I acknowledge your point, but see the 4th Fleet Incident or Typhoon Cobra. Crossroads Baker was at an anchorage, and fair weather. Say the outer destroyers were not reinforced because 4th Fleet did not happen in the ATL. $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 16, 2025 at 5:14
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    $\begingroup$ -1: No. A fleet in operations would not sink, and the explosion could not be mistaken for a convential explosion. Ammo cooking off blows turrets of the barbettes, not lift the ship out of the water while on a fireball for a few moments - besides many people surviving and getting irradiated - everyone would know at latest in 1945 that this would have been a nuke just from survivor records. $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 16, 2025 at 11:41
  • $\begingroup$ @Mark Agreed, a WW2-scale nuclear device isn't going to wipe out a fleet... and a blast that was large enough to wipe out a fleet certainly wouldn't be mistaken for a magazine detonation. $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 16, 2025 at 20:13