The US Navy takes testing of its warships pretty seriously.
Take the USS Jackson, a littoral combat ship designed for warfare close to shore, which finished its third “shock trial” in the waters off Florida recently.
As this extraordinary Navy video shows, the tests consisted of detonating a 10,000-pound explosive charge nearby.
The video shows the shockwave from the explosion turning the water an electric blue, before shooting hundreds of feet into the air.
The ship barely moves, however, suggesting she has passed the test designed to study her ability to withstand nearby underwater explosions.
The Naval Sea Systems Command said: “The ship performed exceptionally well, sustaining minimal damage and returned to port under her own power.
“A large amount of data was collected during (the shock trials) on the majority of shipboard systems and the Navy will compile and analyse the data over the next several months.”
