On Wed, 24 Mar 2004 21:07:19 -0500, Dave Holford
wrote:

Buzzer wrote:


Hopefully in a hundred years your childrens children will be able to
say the same thing after seawater has had more time to eat away at the
housings of nuclear torpedoes containing plutonium.


Assuming that there really are plutonium warheads in torpedoes on those
vessels; does anyone here know what the half-life of those isotopes
might be? It is my understanding that nuclear and thermonuclear warheads
have to be refurbished on a regular schedule; and I understood that was
due to the radioactive decay of the isotopes used.

I know there are isotopes with half-lives in the thousands of years etc.
But I am asking about those used in weapons.

"half-life for plutonium-239 is 24,000 years"

google +submarine +torpedo +plutonium +"24,000"
Cut off the 24,000 for more hits..

I believe the refurb is for the tritium trigger.
http://www.acronym.org.uk/dd/dd67/67nr04.htm
google +tritium +trigger +nuclear