Quote:
Originally Posted by Olefin
i.e. tsunami caused by a nuke burst hitting ships in shallow water
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A nuclear induced tsunami is mentioned occurring elsewhere in one of the Twilight2000 books, but it's an improbable event. Even the largest nuclear weapons don't have the required energy that is required to create a true tsunami of radiated seawater from an air/surface burst offshore.
Unless it was a controlled underwater blast, like the test types used in the Pacific, a normal surface blast close enough to the harbor for large wave action to hit ships would also be irrelevant with regards to blast effects.
An underwater detonation could create large waves that may irradiate ships if close enough, but there's the unresolved issue of the nuclear weapons needing to survive the initial impact against the surface of the ocean and then for some reason, going through a delayed detonation.
For myself, I just go with the idea that it is a near miss. Enough for blast damage to effect the harbor facilities, but distant enough to keep enough intact for basic use. An airbust also negates the issue of radiation a great deal.