What the Navy is Doing : Depth Bombs Deal Death to U-Boats

A depth bomb was a relatively simple anti-submarine weapon. It consisted of a can filled with explosives set to detonate at a certain depth based on hydrostatic pressure. The depth bomb used by the United States in World War I could detonate at up to 300 feet deep and carried 300 pounds of explosives. Destroyers and submarine chasers would drop depth bombs in an attempt to sink submerged submarines. Due to a lack of sophisticated radar, the number of submerged submarines sank in World War I cannot be determined.