Harpoon missile question

I just watching this video of a Harpoon missile exercise


video.google.com...

in the description to the right of the video it says

"It is a well known fact that a missile like ... all » this hits the ship with such force, it rattles the ship so much it breaks everyones ankles.... ouch, plus causes a huge fire..."


I was wondering if the part about hitting with such force it breaks the crews ankles is true? I tried to search around for some more info, but couldnt find anything.

Um, no. That would be a gross exaggeration.

While it is true that the impact and subsequent explosion whould no doubt cause various physical injuries from the shock of the hit, a hit from a Harpoon would most likely cause mainly flash burns and shrapnel-related injuries.

Originally posted by Pyros
Um, no. That would be a gross exaggeration.

No it isn't an exaggeration. If it hit a destroyer or smaller there is a good chance that the ankles of a large part of the crew would be broken. I was on an aircraft carrier that underwent a shock test. The shock test is when they detonate a few tons of explosives close enough that shockwave smacks the ship pretty good.