Depth charge is an underwater bomb designed to disable or destroy submarines when they are under water. A device called a fuse triggers the explosion. It senses water pressure around the weapon and explodes at a preset depth. The explosion creates pressure waves. Depending on how close a submarine is to the explosion, these waves can destroy the vessel or damage important equipment inside it.
The United Kingdom’s Royal Navy developed and first used depth charges during World War I (1914-1918). These early charges consisted of metal drums filled with the explosive TNT that were rolled off the stern (rear) of a ship. Near the war’s end, devices called K-guns and Y-guns launched depth charges off the sides of ships. Ships dropped patterns of charges around submarines. Aircraft were later used to drop charges. The nuclear depth bomb, which produces a wider destructive radius than a traditional depth charge, was introduced in 1964.
Depth charges have since become less important in submarine warfare. Today, such warfare depends much more on precise tracking methods and advanced self-guiding torpedoes.
