How To Launch A Nuclear Tomahawk Missile

The steps for launching a nuclear tomahawk missile.
To get your own launch keys, go to:
www.battleship...
To send Ryan a message on Facebook: / ryanszimanski
To support this channel and Battleship New Jersey, go to:
www.battleship...

[@yolkiandeji7649]

Next episode: How a curator escapes NCIS

[@c1ph3rpunk]

Naval Curator Internment System?

[@johnslowikowski8847]

He can handle getting grilled by both Gibbs and dinozo and walk way unscathed

[@firedogman2280]

@@johnslowikowski8847he’ll just start reciting new jersey facts

[@jamesrizza2640]

lmao

[@vbscript2]

Ryan: Announces selling exact scale replicas of the Nuclear PTF keys from New Jersey. Someone in the military: Almost has a heart attack and orders immediate re-keying of a bunch of nuclear launch sites that have been keyed the same as New Jersey for the last few decades or so.

[@jfbeam]

I suspect there's a rekeying spec for any decommissioned ship. (just like combinations to safes.) But, yeah, that sound like an oversight the military (contractor) would make. There's a great deal pulled out - for security - so I would expect *nuclear launch keys* to be on the list.

[@spvillano]

@@jfbeam probably not, as those would've long been obsolete anyway. Lockpicking Lawyer got his hands on an ICBM launch locking keyswitch, which he promptly picked. At a guess, looked like four generations back and current tech is still rather ancient. The entire notion isn't hyper secure for all components, but weak link - strong link interruption at multiple points.

[@jamesrizza2640]

You know damn well they are still using those same set of keys. That's our military for you.

[@rilmar2137]

Just the type of a DIY project I need on a Monday evening

[@Norbrookc]

A few arduinos, a run on the 3D printer, a few kilos of uranium....

[@matthewamiri314]

“This is the LockPickingLawyer”

[@40sBlockProductions]

I love how at 11:28, you enable the Missile, and the screen above shows the launch of a Missile just a few seconds later.

[@rogerb3654]

It wouldn't have been a surprise (when he pressed the final button) if alarms went off, as if they actually initiated a launch...complete with sounds of a launch, fire and smoke...to fake us out. 🚨🚀🔥🌫

[@mm3mm3]

Ryan and Libby seem to be the smartest and nicest people to ever own a Battleship 😊😊😊😊😊

[@UnshavenStatue]

well they dont own it but i think it would be fair to say ryan is effectively the captain

[@tickticktickBOOOOM]

A relative of mine was in a missile silo during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He told me three things: First, everyone in the silos would have launched if given the order. Second, they quickly figured out that one man could launch despite the two-man safeguards. Third, they could launch even without the codes.

[@Melody_Raventress]

Yes, they could, because the United States Air Force wanted it that way, different times, baby.

[@foxale08]

I think they fixed those issues with later missile types. There were separate codes for the warhead and fuel valve. But there was supposedly a time when the PAL codes for nuclear weapons were left all zeros.

[@Dragonx0562]

@@Melody_Raventress GEN Le May had an issue with PAL. so when he was in charge of SAC, he had all Permissive Action Link codes set to 000-000

[@FP194]

A Titan II could not be launched without an unlock code for a butterfly valve that allowed fuel to flow to the engine The code was contained in the EAM There were 16 million possible combinations and you only got three chances

[@spvillano]

@@FP194 and the Titan II was first fielded in 1962. Figure a few years to get all fielded, yeah, there was a time when that likely was possible. By 1982, when I enlisted, yeah, there were three chances of one person launching a live missile and armed warhead. Slim chance, fat chance and no chance, with the latter basically being 100% likely.

[@evangreenacre3172]

I heard a funny but scary story from a boomer sailor. each tube on a boomer has an key that's required to let that specific tube to be fired. you see this on Crimson Tide too, where the capt pulls out several keys early on to hand to a runner. they take em down to the missile techs (MT). anyways, the scary part was, they somehow figured out that the key to their maintenance cabinet was identical to one of the tubes keys. the navy does source a lot of their keys thru a common key GSA contract. he spent the rest of the cruise destroying other maintenance keys.

[@sambrown6426]

That does sound like the U.S. military tbh.

[@alanrogers7090]

P

[@Whatsinanameanyway13]

This sounds like a project for @lockpickinglawyer

[@sambrown6426]

@@Whatsinanameanyway13 Yes

[@evangreenacre3172]

@@sambrown6426that guy is soo good, that I have no doubt he could pick any and all of them

[@MrDowntemp0]

I would love it if you guys could team up with a theater group and have them act out these sorts of scenarios. Would be interesting to see how long it takes from when they first get the order till the final button pushes. Great video! I'm gonna visit the site on Black Dragon Fri!

[@M81_WOODLAND]

2:54 Wood console CRT TV and a VCR. ❤ Makes me feel like playing some Mario Kart.

[@elfthreefiveseven1297]

TPI, two person integrity. As a former CTO who handled keying material, TPI was an important part of our jobs. And failure to follow established procedures could result in Captains Mast or Court Martial.

[@PaulLoveless-Cincinnati]

Possibly the best Battleship NJ video to date.

[@christianvalentin5344]

I’m convinced that Missouri and Wisconsin were both carrying nuclear tipped Tomahawks during the 1991 Gulf War. Neither fired 32 missiles, just 27 or 28. Unfortunately it’s one of those things we will never know.

[@Ccs4646]

Thankfully we never found out.

[@jwenting]

The others could also have been the anti-ship variant, which afaik was still in service at the time. But carrying nuclear warheads would have been logical as there was a serious risk of the war turning nuclear, what with Iraq's chemical weapons arsenal and known nuclear weapons program which was might or might not have been far enough along to produce a working weapon (it simply wasn't known at the time, so one had to assume it had).

[@FP194]

Each Iowa had one launcher with nuclear tipped tomahawks Probably around 150-200 kilotons each

[@NFSgadzooks]

One of the former Tomahawk officers from Wisconsin mentions that they had to make a stop to offload a couple missiles on the way to the Gulf in one of Naiticus's videos

[@christianvalentin5344]

@@jwenting carrying TASMs was certainly possible, but since they were going to the confined waters of the Persian Gulf long range anti ship missiles were not needed. Plenty of Harpoons onboard to deal with Iraq’s small navy, and that’s assuming that any of their ships escaped our aircraft.

[@foundersrule3496]

The replica nuclear launch keys are available to order today.

[@stephenbritton9297]

We have to remember TLAM-N’s - regardless of which ship does or doesn’t carry them - are TACTICAL nukes. It carried a variable yield 4-150kiloton warhead, whereas the TITAN II ICBM operated by the AF had a 4 MEGAton warhead. So unlike the AF missile sites that needed to be able to launch before they are hit by incoming nukes, a tactical nuke doesn’t need to be kept at moments readiness. Or even the readiness of the missiles on a boomer.

[@Ghauster]

The idea of a variable yield has always been an interesting concept. How do you keep x amount from going boom when the rest goes off right next to it?

[@BritishTeaLover]

@@Ghauster It all goes boom, but you control how it goes boom. Nukes require incredibly specific and careful timing in order to detonate properly. It's not like conventional explosives where it's all or nothing. There's a few ways of maniuplating the size of the explosion. 1) They inject tritium/deuterium gas (isotopes of hydrogen) to boost the power. By controlling how much you inject, and when, you can prevent it from reaching it's theoretical maximum. 2) Some nukes use very carefully controlled neutron generators to fire neutrons into the core, to enhance the reaction. Changing the timing of the injection (or the amount) will also affect the yield. 3) Most nukes are two stage, with a fission first stage and a fusion secondary stage. If you disable the fusion stage, you'll only get the comparatively small first stage going off (since the second stage is where the majority of the power comes from).

[@phillyphakename1255]

I like to think of it as a small explosion inside a bigger shell of explosives. An exploding explosion. If you explode the inner TNT too fast, the shell all flies apart too quickly and doesn't actually explode all that much. If you let it do it's thing, it forms a big explosion. There's all kinds of ways to hack the system to get it to do what you want. Maybe slow down the inner explosion by slowing it down, weakening it, whatever, or maybe increase the speed of the outer explosion, or maybe making making the outer shell stronger. When you get into the different mechanisms of nuclear bombs, you find lots of different ways to attack the problem, but they all boil down to those two ways.

[@stephenbritton9297]

@@Ghauster I actually just watched a video on the “our own devices” channel. Tritium or similar material gets injected into the core of weapon just as it explodes. The more of it, the bigger the boom!

[@Ghauster]

Thanks everyone that has answered my question. I appreciate it.

[@rossreed9974]

Loved this episode, I was an ICBM maintainer for 9 years & great to see how nukes were fired afloat. Hand-Salute to all the vets out there - Happy Gobble day!

[@BrendanHolmes-o3t]

The video was very informative and I appreciate the effort to relay this critical step by step process with regard to launching a BGM-109A TLAM-N. As a Tomahawk DBM stationed on the USS Wisconsin (BB-64) during Operation Desert Storm, the firing procedure was very thorough. Not sure if you’re aware of DSMAC (Digital Scene Mapping Area Correlation) but this would guide the missile towards its final target. TERCOM, (Terrain Contour Matching) to which you reference is the initial phase and DSMAC guides the missile into final destination or in your case “the window”. BZ Shipmate!

[@spvillano]

I remember when removable mass storage devices were banned and the immediate furor over being unable to program TLAM missiles. Yeah, that got swiftly resolved, in depth. All, because some pinheads "found" USB flash drives in a parking lot and thought, "Hey, it'd be a great idea to go straight inside and plug them into GFE... And the OS and antivirus was misconfigured. That crap bounced off of the systems on the base I was responsible for, as we configured per DoD mandated baseline and best business practices.

[@klsc8510]

In the Air Force, I worked on the 465L SACCS RCC. This was one of the systems to pass the Presidential Emergency War Order from HQ SAC to the Bomber/Tanker Wings and to the ICBM launch crews. I just called it the OH CRAP! message. You knew you were going to have a very crappy day quickly! In the Bombers, you had even more safeties as when the aircraft took off, the nuclear bombs were not yet armed. The crew had to receive radio messages prior to reaching their Fail Safe mission point. Only with the info in these messages could the crew arm the nukes. If no message prior to the Fail Safe point, the crew's order is to return to base. In effect a passive recall order. Part of the arming process is for each crewman had to on command toggle their switch. Each was located in a hard to reach position to insure a deliberate action. I have been told that being double jointed is helpful in reaching the switch. So like the USS New Jersey, sending the bombers on their way is a very deliberate time consuming task with a lot of possitive communications. I am glad that back then, it was never actually done...for obvious reasons.

[@Melody_Raventress]

I'm glad to hear that it's gotten better, it... didn't used to be that hard.

[@m1t2a1]

Not a CRM-114 Discriminator?

[@spvillano]

@@m1t2a1 of course there was! Just as Dimitri loves surprises. Ironic that both Fail Safe and Doctor Strangelove were initially to be released at the same time. Fail Safe, due to Kubrick's legal threats was delayed in being released by 9 months. Ah, the good old days of living under the nuclear sword of Damocles. Oh wait, that's still present and I live in an area ringed with government comms nodes, one major DoD comms nexus and surrounded by military depots within 5 miles. I *am* ground zero!

[@m1t2a1]

@@spvillano I'm a mile away from an army base. Not worried though. It won't be a target for much. I'm in Canada lol.

[@spvillano]

@@m1t2a1 Canada, the last time I checked, a member of NATO, hence also targeted. Still, being at ground zero for dozens of warheads, not worried, wouldn't even notice if they detonated, I'd be way too busy being a bad smell in the air.

[@bryangrote8781]

Thank Ryan! I ordered a "Tomahauk Missile" kit on Amazon, but the instructions were all in Chinese. Now I know how to launch it, at least if I can find a battleship to mount it on. Seems that's the one thing China doesn't yet make (thankfully).

[@setituptoblowitup]

Wat you've got none in Utah?

[@Kyfordman1989]

You’re correct the name is official response to that is I can neither confirm or deny any nuclear weapon aboard any ship or airplane

[@mattwinthewoods]

Never tire of the Under Siege references. Hope to visit one day, but until then I’ll keep watching!

[@Slide100]

Dang! Rank *does* have it’s privileges! That Captain’s cabin is huge!

[@pastorjerrykliner3162]

And that's the "In Port" cabin. The Captain also has a smaller, "At Sea" cabin up in the superstructure.

[@Ghauster]

The Captain is considered on duty 24/7. They get the big cabin as a way to keep them happy. That's also why there's an at sea cabin just off the bridge. They never know when something will happen to disrupt their off-watch time. Never mind trying to get a good night's sleep.

[@petergiamboni5311]

Thanks!

[@F-Man]

That’s a title I never thought I’d see on KZbin 😅

[@CallofDutyBlackOps2010]

I say we petition the Navy to make Ryan an admiral tbh

[@DaBoM1337]

Thank you for this information, I will be sure to try this out the next chance I get

[@ryansheppard21]

Such a GREAT video Ryan!

[@EricMBlog]

One thing I’ve always thought about with nuclear release procedures, is there are lots of single point failures. It seems like even a minor casualty even could knock out a ships ability to use its nuclear arsenal. I’m not saying the alternative is better, it’s just interesting to me.

[@leowood5860]

I believe there are backups for each of those roles but I could be mistaken

[@notalizardperson]

There are backups, but at the end of the day, the systems spend most of their time not being used, so they need to make sure that they do that job very, very well.

[@spvillano]

It's also by design. There are two schools in failure modes. Fail lethal or fail safe. We use fail safe, the Russians are alleged to have a final fail fatal mode in their "dead hand" system. Given redundancy in our military, well, our rich, rather befuddled Uncle has a spare ship, missile site or submarine or six to fill in. Something actually covered briefly in the series "Last Resort". Due to receiving an EAM to launch from an emergency alternative site, the commander refused to launch and their backup launched instead.

[@Odin029]

Crimson Tide is one of my favorite naval movies of all time. There are other navy themed movies with great casts, but Crimson Tide is hard to beat. Plus whenever someone says a message must be authenticated I think about the officer carrying the message across the bridge to Gene Hackman.

[@alexmartin9177]

the missile knows where it is, because it knows where it isn’t…

[@vxe6vxe6]

The missile knows where the missile is...

[@rydplrs71]

I really like the multiple redundancy controls and hard lockouts on nuclear weapons, but dang this process seems extremely slow especially when a single person has to do multiple actions in different rooms. I would think it could be streamlined for time and still provide the safety from a rogue launch.

[@jwenting]

yeah, it was too involved. Cobbled together quickly by slapping individual pieces together installed where ever there was some free room on the ships. Nuclear launch protocols for nuclear weapons on other vessels designed from the outset to carry them were (and no doubt are, though only SSBNs now carry them) no doubt more streamlined and integrated. Makes one wonder what success chance there would have been for these missiles had they ever been used in anger during an all out war with the USSR. Most likely they'd not have gotten through, given that they would arrive over Soviet airspace well after the ICBMs and SLBMs, with the surviving Soviet air defenses on full alert for them. Which would effectively make them a pure first strike weapon, to be launched well in advance of anything else in a surprise attack, increasing the chance of them reaching their targets.

[@spvillano]

Actually, it was based upon taking a fair amount of time, just to ensure the ability to stop a launch, rather than a nearly instantaneous launch that the movies love to show. The fastest to launch is the ICBM fleet, the rest take minutes to hours to be ready to obliterate a target nation. By design.

[@dinkoz1]

In fact, 4 keys are required to launch land-based ICBMs. Two capsules with two launch crew members are interlocked so that launch requires four keys to be active. Of course the capsule crews do not know which two capsules are connected within the ICBM wing structure, thus preventing the possibility of one crew deciding to launch on its own initiative. Additional protection is built into the warheads themselves through a permission code link

[@rogerb3654]

I wouldn't have been surprised (when he pressed the final button) if alarms went off, as if they actually initiated a launch...complete with sounds of a launch, fire and smoke...to fake us out. 🚨🚀🔥🌫😱

[@trevorpomroy550]

I love those CEC console chairs. I wonder if Emco would sell me one...

[@boogeymanlockandkey362]

So..Ryan. Just an observation not a criticism. I'm a locksmith. At the beginning of the video you showed both keys..I'm a locksmith by trade. I do what locksmiths do..sooooo..By the time the video where you say that you are selling oversized replicas( which I will still purchase), I knew exactly what key blank was used and I knew the exact biting code to use to cut the keys. I won't publish the blank or the code as both could lead to someone snapping one off in the keyway. I will tell you that for a nuclear launch key, it is not a restricted blank and is somewhat common. Keep up the great videos.

[@henrycarlson7514]

Interesting , Thank You .

[@Akcd11r2002]

The missile knows where it is at all times. It knows this because it knows where it isn't. By subtracting where it is from where it isn't, or where it isn't from where it is (whichever is greater), it obtains a difference, or deviation. The guidance subsystem uses deviations to generate corrective commands to drive the missile from a position where it is to a position where it isn't, and arriving at a position where it wasn't, it now is. Consequently, the position where it is, is now the position that it wasn't, and it follows that the position that it was, is now the position that it isn't. In the event that the position that it is in is not the position that it wasn't, the system has acquired a variation, the variation being the difference between where the missile is, and where it wasn't. If variation is considered to be a significant factor, it too may be corrected by the GEA. However, the missile must also know where it was. The missile guidance computer scenario works as follows. Because a variation has modified some of the information the missile has obtained, it is not sure just where it is. However, it is sure where it isn't, within reason, and it knows where it was. It now subtracts where it should be from where it wasn't, or vice-versa, and by differentiating this from the algebraic sum of where it shouldn't be, and where it was, it is able to obtain the deviation and its variation, which is called error.

[@byronharano2391]

Happy Thanksgiving Battleship New Jersey.

[@kiereluurs1243]

Merry Christmas, Thingy.

[@sheilaolfieway1885]

Did New Jersey carry tomahawk missiles during it's service?

[@BattleshipNewJersey]

During the 1980s it did.

[@sheilaolfieway1885]

@@BattleshipNewJersey Thank you for the responce.

[@williamwilde141]

The new minuteman missile controls are down to 1 key and 3 knobs, and the launch officers sit next to one and other now.

[@spencerjoplin2885]

The scariest part was relying on a printer to print when it absolutely needed to.

[@jfbeam]

The print out is just for verification. The information is electronically sent to the missile. (as long as the jumper [PAL] is installed.) (The part no one will talk about is how to fire one with all those control shot to h***.)

[@ChrisCooper312]

At least it was not an inkjet. The wars would have been lost because it had run out of one colour (despite the message being only in black and white).

[@tools6106]

I am glad it takes nearly an hour to process all the steps to make a launch possible. I am also glad it’s not 4 hours! It does make me a bit shaken by the fact that these are government employees entrusted to follow this step by step process! I’ve seen sailors in port, they don’t always act responsible enough to flip a light switch let alone access keys to end the world! I do admit that it’s worked so far so good, keep up the good work!

[@jovangrbic97]

AT what moment and how does the TERCOM terrain data become transfered from the 30lb hard drive to the missile itself?

[@n6mz]

You don't have "the need to know." 😀 I used to know these details when I was an electronics engineer on the excellent Convair Tomahawk but that was a LONG time ago.

[@Cthippo1]

Probably about the same time they print it out and take it to the Captain to sign. Either during the signature gathering process, or immiedatly after it.

[@gtg625a]

Was the guidance package harddrive put into the track side console in the CEC? It was a little unclear what happened to it once it got to the CEC.

[@Bum-gh2zi]

Yes.

[@michaelpiatkowskijr1045]

The facts are that one of the key reasons that the Iowa class battleships were brought back as launch platforms for the Tomahawk missiles. The Tomahawk missile was intended as a nuclear missile. It is logical that at least some ship possibly had nuclear Tomahawks. There was plans and procedures to launch nuclear weapons. That much is clear. However, there are ballistic missile submarines available. They are harder to detect and harder to find. The clear thing is they were trained to launch nuclear weapons. As far as if any nuclear Tomahawks were carried by Iowa class battleships. It's possible they carried them, however, it is unlikely that we'll ever know about it. The chances are very few people actually knew the weapons were nuclear. There's also the possibility some were told they had nuclear Tomahawks when they were conventional.

[@foxale08]

If I'm not mistaken I thought subs with tomahawks is a newer thing. I assume TLAMs had tactical nukes with lower yield than those carried by ICBMs

[@michaelpiatkowskijr1045]

@@foxale08 I do believe the tactical nukes submarines carry are bigger than the Tomahawk. The Tomahawk was designed for surface warships. The Tomahawk is a fairly small missile. It could only take out an air plane or saturate an area with small bomb droplets.

[@iansinclair521]

Hard drives for guidance is a lot better than punched paper tape... which was used on some ICBMs which I will still not name, at a time which I still will not name... but it's what we had, and it worked.

[@Ghauster]

Just make sure the tape feeds well. Paper jambs would really suck.

[@FP194]

Paper punch tape was used because it can’t be hacked

[@OliverHinz]

It is alway so weird to see from a civilian perspective, how large those ships are from the outside, but still so tiny in space actually inside.

[@andrewhoughton8606]

Yep that is not secondary fire control but first strike attack

[@williampaddock4863]

How does the american DD's reload torpedoes were are the reloads located ?

[@keithmoore5306]

actually that system is more secure than a missile silo after seeing the system in a titan silo figured out how to bypass the two man system in 5 minutes and after seeing the minuteman 2 minutes with the titan info!!

[@c431inf]

Really cool thank you for sharing. Saved play list: How to repair my oil burner How to service my transmission How to launch a nuke tomahawk cruise missile 🤙

[@phillipdavis3316]

Hey Ryan, I just ordered my key and teak. Where can I get an HD logo of USS New Jersey? I want to put the key and teak in a shadow box to display, so I need a nice logo for it.

[@texasgrillchef8581]

I am actually surprised that it takes as long as it does for them to launch a nuclear enabled tomahawk. Of course in an emergency situation where we need to detonate a nuclear device. We have many other options that could get a nuclear device to the target in less than 50 min. Which is probably one of the reasons why in the Treaty we agreed to remove nuclear arms from surface ships. Especially since they still remain on subs, and we can put them on supersonic bombers and fighters as well, as still the ICBM’s that still exist.

[@socom2173]

"Turn your key sir"

[@captdawson236]

So how would you fire a 16inch nuclear shell? Would it be about the same?

[@foxale08]

I don't think the safeties/procedures of that time period were particularly sophisticated if any existed. I cannot explicitly speak to the procedure but the military didn't initially trust the nuke safeties and avoided setting them to codes other than repeating zeros.

[@Cthippo1]

No, way way simpler. There was probably some sort of primitive PAL on those, but it may have been as simple as a key built into the fuse.

[@georgetreisbach3849]

All those 'safeguards' and the officer forgot the combination to the 'final' safe.

[@arnieweisbrot9959]

That's why the combo is set to 10-20-30. 🙃

[@highstrunglinemanlife1812]

Speaking of missiles how does the navy remove/repair something that’s damaged deep inside the ship that would require it to be removed from the ship

[@foxale08]

I think Ryan covered that in another video, most things can be broken down into chucks that fit through existing openings.

[@Cthippo1]

And the things that can't have soft patches, essentially removable sections of deck, over them.

[@tower401ladder]

I really need to Tomahawk Enable/Inhibit Key too please

[@s.porter8646]

LINKS

[@Khemin]

Great vid and very informative. As an OS, I worked in CEC frequently right next to the Tomahawk consoles. Don't mean to nitpick, but it is a bit irritating constantly hearing Ryan pronounce "nuclear" as "nuke-u-lar"... instead of as it is: "NEW-CLEE-AR". President GW Bush had this same irritating inability.

[@alanrogers7090]

I guess I'm dense, but this seems very complicated whenin a war scenario.

[@surferdjnj]

That's exactly the point

[@foxale08]

Nukes are very FAFO, best they don't get used accidentally.

[@BritishTeaLover]

These nukes aren't for deterrence, they're more often for when you know you're going to do it in advance, or when you've got other systems (like ICBMs, submarines etc) able to fire more rapidly in the event the US is attacked first. These were smaller warheads mainly designed for tactical use, not strategic.

[@OptimusSubPr1me]

Did she have any nuclear blackout curtains on the bridge?

[@user-ou2fi8xt8w]

How much information does the guidance package contain? 100 KB, 1Mb or 100 MB? Is it possible to receive new guidance packages via satellite communication while at sea and record them on HDD instead of the old ones? Are guidance packages loaded into the rocket via the launch console?

[@billpugh58]

Ah Mr Xi, we’ve been expecting you………😂

[@user-ou2fi8xt8w]

@@billpugh58 You're going to laugh, but you're almost right. I'm Russian.

[@justinwilliams7148]

I get the complexity of the nuclear missile. But how much of that is cut out for a normal missile?

[@foxale08]

I wonder about this as well. I assume they only need the normal permission to fire key for that.

[@Cthippo1]

Probably just skips the nuclear PTF key turn. The same launchers would be used for both nuclear and conventional missiles, and so most of the procedures will be identical. The only added step is the activation of the Permissive Action Link that allows the warhead itself to detonate, which is what the Nuclear PTF key does.

[@coryzipperle5627]

@10:55, it's taken 50 or 15 minutes?

[@texasgrillchef8581]

There are so many failsafes to keep anyone from causing a nuclear weapon to intentionally go off, that it would take quite few people to make that happen. The only one I worry about mostly is a president “pushing the button” however what few people even understand there, is even the president can’t truly unilaterally just push the button. It’s a lot more complicated than a lot of people think.

[@bigsarge2085]

👍👍

[@whatever8282828]

I understand it must be feasible, but it is hard to imagine the captain of the ship being so uninterested in nuclear warfare as to hand it off to a subordinate.

[@J.Knox46]

Right! Ehh, you see 1 nuclear missile launch. You've seen them all.. I got a solitaire game calling my name and a tuna sandwich...

[@davidschick6951]

Everyone has to be someplace. That includes the captain of a warship.

[@robertthomas5906]

@@J.Knox46 You can tune a piano but you can't tune a fish.

[@Melody_Raventress]

The missile knows where it is at all times, it knows this because it knows where it isn't.

[@andrewhoughton8606]

Wouldnt he be in at sea cabin

[@akdonlh9924]

Do you have tomahawk missiles in the merch store I’d like 2 please.

[@keithlivingstone2525]

That looks like my front door key. I did wonder what that BANG was when I locked my door last night…..

[@timothyharrell6071]

10:54 im sorry is that 15 minutes or 50 minutes?

[@kiereluurs1243]

Probably 50.

[@yah5o]

I was wondering: how long would the whole process even take?

[@Cthippo1]

About an hour.

[@BritishTeaLover]

Ryan says in the video (as he sits down at the final console) that it would have taken around 50 minutes to get to that point.

[@yah5o]

@@BritishTeaLover thx. Must have missed that. Sounds like quite a long time...

[@Da_big_nacho]

Building a Lego Iowa during this

[@Ken_Koonz]

Did I miss something about how to get the 15% off? The price is still $10.99 on Black Dragon Friday. I just want to make sure bedrove I pull the trigger, as it were. Also, do not underestimate Tommy Lee Jones, he is a very capable individual.

[@MichalProzac]

And here I wanted to order a Nuclear PTF key just to use with my gate keys (as a conversation starter) and... shipping only to the US. Bummer. But understandable not many Europeans are interested in navy ships of even their own country let alone the US. Oh well. Another motivation to go to the US.

[@c1ph3rpunk]

What about non-nuclear Tomahawks, same process? Chief Ryback was asking, Stranix was messing with them.

[@evangreenacre3172]

Actually, no... from what I understand, they had better systems for them. It takes a lot to certify a weapons system to launch nuclear weapons, so the regular Tomahawks got upgraded systems, but they'd leave the older ones for the nukes. So there's be two complete systems on board, IF they had any nukes. one for the regular ones, and the older for the nukes

[@chaseman113]

Fast & Far seems to be ideal for a nuclear missile.

[@theteenageengineer]

I noticed you didn’t show what “the plug” looks like, is that because you don’t have keys for it? If you really want to get in there without causing any damage to the locks you could probably have a locksmith pick it open so you can display what it would have looked like. In fact you might not even need a locksmith, a lot of active or ex military personnel who visit the ship probably have the tools and skills to pick the lock open.

[@Bum-gh2zi]

Or the real key that just happened to make its way home.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

💻🔊"Would you like to play a game Dr. Falken?"

[@Norbrookc]

"Wouldn't you like a game of tic-tac-toe?"

[@sambrown6426]

"Is there any way to make it play itself?" "Yeah, number of players 0."

[@robertpesche]

Yes. How about global thermonuclear war.

[@studinthemaking]

That not how Tommoy Lee jones did it in the documentary under siege.

[@mrkca222]

Jesus, the war would be over by the time they did all that hullabaloo just to launch 😂

[@Bum-gh2zi]

Launching a T was a time-consuming process. I used to have to be part of the drills.

[@nothandmade9686]

Those stations have just got it through to me how dated this ship is.

[@gregorylumpkin2128]

Go for it. Straight to DC.

[@dutchman7216]

Just seemed the process was slow.

[@glennac]

Yep! During the last Imaginary Final Countdown video on this some insisted that the Capt and OX could do all of this on their own. I called BS back then. Look at all of the steps and people involved just to launch a single missile. AND the need for an Action Message. NO, two guys on a ship could NOT do this on their own.

[@brunonikodemski2420]

Given the complexity of the nuclear launching process, the probability that any nuclear Tomahawk could be launched, is essentially zero. One carrier of the appropriate message, tripping down a ladder, would stop the whole process. I was on a ship where the ladder went over my head, during a roll, and I had to hook my leg around the rail to stay attached. Any storm would stop the process. As would any rough weather.

[@kurtwenzelburger7628]

With the time required to do all the verification's and running around the ship, it would seem that this would really only work for a first strike and not a retaliatory strike.

[@Tuck-Shop]

A retaliatory strike is a response to something that has already happened. Time isn't as critical as a first strike where you have to hit the enemy as fast as possible to stop them from reacting.

[@foxale08]

As I understand it EAMs are sent out daily at random. Anyone listening in wouldn't know what any given EAM intends or which units it is intended for. Presumably post attack EAMs would be retaliatory in nature and a first strike could be conducted through EAMs as well since US doctrine is not no-first use.

[@Tuning3434]

@@Tuck-Shop These nuclear tipped tomahawks are more tactical weapons than strategic weapons. Also the missiles themselves are subsonic. I would say nuclear deterrence is mostly done by the ICBM boomers, Minuteman facilities and possibly airstrikes via nuclear bombers.

[@Tuck-Shop]

@@Tuning3434 Unless you know where the fleet is and able to wipe out the fleet, they are still a deterrence as they can be used in response. With the complexity and amount of people involved there is too much chance for a leak of information providing warning to the enemies for it to be a valid first strike weapon. Being subsonic would mean the time between detection and detonation would allow any targeted silos to launch their payload before they get taken out. I'd argue that in a nuclear war they are actually bad as a first strike option. Too slow to neutralise the enemy before they respond. The time between the order and launch is too long to ensure tight timing between all the nuclear weapons being delivered at the enemy preventing response. Much harder to coordinate a first strike with them. But as a deterrent they are great. The threat of a nuclear armed fleet that can be anywhere out at sea and can strike back even if the USA was wiped out is a great threat.

[@Scout75PortableRadio]

History has proven that only Steven Segeal could stop Tommy Lee Jones.... sadly.

[@doughudgens9275]

I guess they didn’t use a Permissive Action Link to unlock the warhead. US Army nuclear warheads were locked and it took a 6 digit code to have a big boom. The code chain started with the President down to the soldiers that inputted the enabling numbers. You had 2 separate teams decoding 3 of the 6 numbers to maintain 2 man control. Then you dialed in your 3 numbers, and the other team member input his. Each step of the aiming process also had someone check the work of the other person.

[@Cthippo1]

The tomahawks, or more specifically their W80 warheads, would have had the PALs built in. Since it is a sealed missile the PAL has to be electronically unlocked as part of the target upload process. I would guess that the EAM would include the unlock code for the warhead, along with the targeting data. That code would be entered alomg with ship's current position, course to navigation Initial Point, terrain mapping data, etc and uploaded to the missile before it could be fired. Air Force cruise missile carrying aircraft of the same era used a similar system where the PAL codes were in the EAM and so while they could drop the weapon, it would not detonate unless the code was entered.

[@McTroyd]

It's possible that was taken care of by computer, since they had to load the flight plan in the missile anyway.

[@dhook7918]

Best movie as a kid is war games.

[@klsc8510]

The first part was filmed in the Titan ICAM Missile Trainer at Davis-Monthan AFB.

[@bjturon]

What about the keys to the strawberries? 🔑🍓

[@brunonikodemski2420]

Paypal link does not work.

[@TheSteelArmadillo]

The missile knows where it is, because it knows where it isn’t.

[@wadewilson524]

You are awesome, but there’s only one “U” in “nuclear”…

[@russellpowell6634]

Be as nuclear or missilised as you want I still want big guns on my warship!

[@iKvetch558]

PLEASE tell me that Tommy Lee Jones is coming on as a guest for this episode? No? OK, how about Busey? Not him either? OK...how about Colm Meany? He is busy with Trek conventions...got it. At least you got Richard Andrew Jones...the guy who played Pitt? LOL OK...that is enough of that joke....I will stop now. 😁

[@JB-ym4up]

Steven Segals schedule is clear.

[@iKvetch558]

@@JB-ym4up lol...true...but having him on as guess would get the video demonetized.😂

[@akdonlh9924]

The girl that comes out of the cake!

[@HongyaMa]

Radioman: Sir we have launch orders/ Officer of the Deck: Sir we have a launch code/ Captain: Order launch/ Weapons officer: Weapons armed/ Launch Control Officer: Weapon target set: CIC: Weapons ready Sir!/ Captain Orders a launch Sir!/ Weapon ready and keys turned Sir!/ CiC to Captain, Washington DC was hit 5 minutes ago Sir! Sir? Sir?

[@RaceBanner_]

6:55 I’m exhausted & bored and these Marines are annoying. Lets go do something else!