Q&A ยท 15:31-16:41

Hedgehog and depth charges damaged submarines differently

Contact-fused Hedgehog bombs and depth charges imposed different damage mechanisms and tactical demands.

Question

Did Hedgehog make depth charges obsolete because it always punctured a submarine's pressure hull?

Short answer

No. Hedgehog offered contact-fused, forward-thrown attacks and better contact retention, while depth charges could still disable a submarine through shock damage and force it to surface.

Notes

A depth-charge pattern did not need to split a pressure hull to defeat a U-boat. Shock damage could force a submarine to surface, where escorts could finish the engagement, but the attacking ship normally lost close ASDIC contact while passing over the target. Hedgehog threw a pattern ahead and detonated only on contact, allowing hydrophone listening to continue when the pattern missed. A hit concentrated damage against the pressure hull, although the weapon was not guaranteed to hit or destroy its target.