Wow: U.S. nearly nuked North Carolina in 1961

[pudly]

Based on some recently declassified documents, a B-52 accident over N.C. in January 1961 very nearly allowed a hydrogen bomb to explode with a yield that would have been 260 times larger than Hiroshima. A fourth and final safety device is all that prevented the bomb from going off, sending lethal fallout to cover several states. U.S. history would have been very different...

PS- Why is almost all of the interesting info coming from foreign press any more?

US nearly detonated atomic bomb over North Carolina ? secret document | World news | The Guardian

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Wow indeed!

Using freedom of information, he discovered that at least 700 "significant" accidents and incidents involving 1,250 nuclear weapons were recorded between 1950 and 1968 alone.

Makes you wonder how many more of these 700 "significant" accidents almost involved detonation.

I don't work on thermonuclear devices but I do work on safety systems on industrial equipment and it's by near-misses and the sometimes tragic actual accidents that we learn how susceptible designs and practices can be.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

Based on some recently declassified documents, a B-52 accident over N.C. in January 1961 very nearly allowed a hydrogen bomb to explode with a yield that would have been 260 times larger than Hiroshima. A fourth and final safety device is all that prevented the bomb from going off, sending lethal fallout to cover several states. U.S. history would have been very different...

PS- Why is almost all of the interesting info coming from foreign press any more?



US nearly detonated atomic bomb over North Carolina ? secret document | World news | The Guardian

HORRORS!!!! WE SHOULD IMMEDIATELY DISMANTLE OUR ENTIRE NUCLEAR ARSENAL!!!! I'm sure we've been fortunate to escape nuclear annihilation in many different ways, just as I'm certain this incident and others were used to make nuclear weaponry more safe and reliable. Of course, it's easy to be horrified over a long-past might-have-been, especially if you (the writer of the article) weren't responsible for defending your country against nuclear-armed enemies absent ICBM technology (which, BTW, wasn't all that safe initially, either).

PS: All the most interesting info is coming from the foreign press anymore because the domestic press, unless the secret involves embarrassing your political enemies, prefer not to air dirty laundry that embarrasses their own country and/or political allies. The Brits are equal-opportunity embarrassers as far as their American cousins are concerned. Have you noticed that only the tabloids over there cover the Royal Family's "indescretions"?

 

[2ADMNLOVER]

I'm about 80% sure this isn't " new " news . I think this story came out some years ago .

I think the problem is that the story broke on some AJ type source so most folks wouldn't pay attention to it .

 

[pudly]

Interesting, found a Wikipedia entry with a very similar story. Apparently, the news hear is just that the documents have just been declassified. Still a scary story.

 

[gunman41mag]

Would that have wiped out inbreeding

 

[mrjarrell]

They also lost one off the Outer Banks. Still haven't found it after many decades. They aren't even searching for it anymore. The government just assumes it will be safe at the bottom of the ocean off NC.

 

[IndyDave1776]

They also lost one off the Outer Banks. Still haven't found it after many decades. They aren't even searching for it anymore. The government just assumes it will be safe at the bottom of the ocean off NC.

Approximately where did they lose it? I have plenty of 5.56 and .308, but I don't have one of those!

 

[buckstopshere]

Would that have wiped out inbreeding

There is always kentucky for that. Perhaps with a tail but is that from nuclear fall out or the gene puddle?

 

[HoughMade]

They've been asking for it for decades.

 

[Hoosier8]

A B-52 burned on the runway with a nuclear bomb on the AF base up by Peru, IN.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

I wouldn't worry about inbreeding in North Carolina; it's the apparent inbreeding among Congresscritters that concerns me.

 

[EOD Guy]

This "incident" was briefed during an advanced nuke course I attended at Sandia National Labs...they said it came close to popping off. This wasn't the only one...there were others almost as close and some important pieces were never recovered.

 

[philo]

[FONT=arial,helvetica]8 December 1964: A B-58 Hustler bomber was taxiing into position for takeoff at what became Grissom AFB in Indiana when it slid off the runway and caught fire. The three crew ejected but one perished due to a hard impact of his escape capsule. Five nuclear weapons were aboard the plane and several were damaged in the fire. Contamination was released but confined to the immediate vicinity of the wreckage. [/FONT]

additional incidents at: Aerospaceweb.org | Ask Us - Broken Arrow Nuclear Weapon Accidents

 

[Jammer]

8 December 1964: A B-58 Hustler bomber was taxiing into position for takeoff at what became Grissom AFB in Indiana when it slid off the runway and caught fire. The three crew ejected but one perished due to a hard impact of his escape capsule. Five nuclear weapons were aboard the plane and several were damaged in the fire. Contamination was released but confined to the immediate vicinity of the wreckage.

additional incidents at: Aerospaceweb.org | Ask Us - Broken Arrow Nuclear Weapon Accidents

the 50's and 60's make it look like the 3 Stooge's were in charge of Strategic Air Command......and those are just those incidents "released".....

 

[in625shooter]

the 50's and 60's make it look like the 3 Stooge's were in charge of Strategic Air Command......and those are just those incidents "released".....

Nothing really new those incidents have been "public" for a long time. As a former SAC troop I disagree with the above statement. It's actually the other way around, the 3 stooges run it now. When SAC was dissolved in 1992 they were a force to be reckoned with owning 2/3rds of the nuclear triad. Now it's looks like the 3 stooges are involved. We hardly never had a nuke surety inspection or ORI failure now it's somewhat common to have a low rating or failure. As far as the incidents in the 50's and 60's When you factor in the flight safety records of the 50's and 60's (remember the jet age was still fairly new and there were a ton of crashes and incidents) Factor that in along with the practice of having an air frame loaded with live nukes and airborne 24/7 there are (were) incidents. There were 3 major incidents where a nuke either got dropped or crashed with the aircraft. The one in North Carolina, over Spain (and Greenland (Operation Chrome Dome) After that they quit flying routine patrols with live nukes let alone soon after a treaty forbid it. As far as a nuke detonating they are more safe than a conventional ordinance. Sure there is an increased chance of a radiation type exposure but as far as a detonation highly unlikely. I'm more concerned about the trains and semi's going through any given town when one pays attention to the HAZMAT placards.

The Military needs more General's like Curtis Lemay's. When he passed away and they disbanded SAC the AF went to *&^%. They are trying to somewhat revive the concept with "Global Strike Command" but they will NEVER pull it off with the new generations of troops and leaders.