Faster submarines, faster aircraft, and large missiles increased the demands on Cold War escort protection. Against a heavy missile impact, traditional armor could offer less reassurance than subdivision. A bulkhead could protect sailors in the neighboring compartment while containing destructive force in the space struck. That containment could worsen the consequences for anyone inside it. The comparison with injuries ashore explains why the difference between a survivable wound and a fatal injury at sea could depend on which side of the bulkhead a sailor occupied.
Notable Point · 56:18-57:46
Why a bulkhead can decide who survives a missile hit
A bulkhead can protect adjacent spaces while concentrating destructive force inside the compartment struck by a large missile.