wow, how did i not see anything about this story?

i've been a bit busy-ish, but....i was definitely interested to know how we almost ended the world.

that would be pretty funny tho - aliens get the last recording from the space station in about a trillion years:

  "How did World 2 end? Well, if you can believe it, it was an accident. The driver was in the loo and checking his crypto, and, well...he hit a mountain. Underwater. Unmapped. Until then."

Why would the world end?

The nuclear reactor that is powering the sub is quite small, producing generally 1/10 of the energy of a nuclear plant. They are designed to withstand direct torpedo hits, and historically when for example a nuclear sub had most of its own torpedoes explode from within the sub, killing everyone inside, the power plant itself survived without damage (there exist is a good documentary about kursk accident and the salvage operation of its two nuclear plants).

Even if it did have a meltdown, it is likely to be a depth if its hitting an underwater mountain. You could explode the biggest nuclear bomb every created at the Mariana Trench and the only effect we would get at the surface would be some bubbles. Water is pretty good at not be compressible, while at the same time able to diffuse the explosion while it is traveling upwards.

The problem of a nuclear sub colliding underwater is the human lives lost because of the crash.

The sub is tomahawk-capable and those tomahawks are nuclear warhead-capable.

It's just one of the ways we're playing with (nuclear) fire.

Previous incidents with nuclear-powered and/or nuclear-armed subs have come close to ending the world previously.

Dude, you have no idea what you're talking about.

First off, the USS Connecticut is a fast attack submarine so it doesn't carry nukes. Only boomers carry nukes (and only while on mission)

Secondly, tomahawks haven't carried nuclear warheads in 4 decades.

Thirdly, you can't check your phone onboard a submarine, it's essentially a farday cage. (Assuming they were at comms depth to begin with).

Finally, there's no such "previous incidents."

I'm not eating a pizza right now. But I might be soon.

Nobody _actually_ knows if I am going to eat a pizza, but they _do_ mostly know that I am _capable_ of eating said pizza. Which is why the local pizza shop stays prepared for what they consider to be a virtual invitability - which is smart.

Which is exactly what I said, so please stop with the strawman stuff.

And, I'm not surprised that someone on HN can't take a joke (re: the loo comment), yet am somewhat surprised you think phones stop working below the water line.

As for previous incidents, you need a read a book. Or the news. Or just get off faceobok for a minute. There's a whole world of knowledge and understanding out there.

You literally can't "[check your] crypto" in the loo on a submarine - even if they were on the surface the hull acts as a faraday cage.