/sci/ - Science & Math

Second issue; The US Navy is working on a new type of submarine with supercav propulsion. It's basically a rocket engine but that uses sea water as half of the reaction to prolong the burn. A small portion of the exhaust is redirected to the nosecone where it forcibly creates a bubble that the rocket flies inside of, so that it does't touch the water. The bubble clears the way but the water behind it is literally forced into vapor by the dramatic drop in pressure behind the vehicle as it flies. The result is vastly lower drag, and known speeds of up to 300mph for torpedos, and 115mph for the Navy's 100 foot prototype supercav sub.

The concern is that the tremendous sound will prevent whales from communicating. It initially sounds goofy but whales need to hear each others' calls over long distances in order to mate. This is the main argument holding back what is basically undersea warp drive. Thoughts?