AbstractThe dynamic response to ground motion of hemispherical shells in a fluid, medium is studied numerically. In the analysis, linear thin shell theory is used and the fluid is assumed to be compressible and inviscid. The effect of the duration of the ground motion on the dynamic response is studied using two forcing functions, one with a very short duration and the other in the form of a Heaviside function. As special cases, dynamic responses of the shellin vacuoand of a rigid hemisphere in the fluid medium are investigated. The results are valid also for a ring‐stiffened complete spherical shell accelerating in an acoustic mediu