Choosing a stiffened cylindrical shell model as a simulation object, the simulation model of the stiffened cylindrical shell subjected to underwater explosion load was built by using MSC-DYTRAN finite element analysis software. The typical test cases with shock factor of 1.1 were simulated, the damage mechanism of the stiffened cylindrical shell was analyzed, numerical results were compared with experimental data, it was shown that the simulation method is effective and feasible. By performing a series of numerical simulations, the influences of attack angle of explosion and submergence depth of model on the elastic-plastic dynamic response of the shell were investigated. The results showed that angle of 90° is the most serious attack angle, angle of 0°is the minimum serious one of other angles; the submergence depth of the stiffened cylindrical shell has obvious influence on the dynamic response, the deeper the submergence depth of the shell, the more serious the damage of the cylindrical shell; when considering the bubble pulse load, the structure can be destroyed once more; with the same explosive mass and distance, the destroy effects of the stiffened cylindrical shell with different submergence depths are different, the deeper the submergence depth of the shell, the more serious the once more damage of the cylindrical shell.