The Nuking of the Carolinas, 1958 & 1961
http://io9.com/5904633/in-1958-ameri...irls-playhouse
Unbelievable. My favorite part:In 1958, America accidentally dropped a nuclear weapon on two little girls’ playhouse
For certain rural residents of the Carolinas during the Cold War, apocalyptic anxiety hit disturbingly close to home. In 1958 and 1961, the American Air Force lost nuclear weapons over the skies of South and North Carolina, respectively, raining potential apocalypse on the folks below.
In both incidents, complete catastrophe was avoided thanks to that ever-potent combination of foresight and unmitigated dumb luck. And in the former incident, the bomb fell square on some unsuspecting children's playhouse.
The task was doomed from the start; later testimony indicated Kulka had no idea where to find the locking pin in the large and complicated bomb-release mechanism. After a tense 12 minutes searching for the pin, the bombardier decided, correctly, that it must be high up in the bomb bay and invisible because of the curvature of the bomb. A short man, he jumped to pull himself up to get a look at where he thought the locking pin should be. Unfortunately, he evidently chose the emergency bomb-release mechanism for his handhold. The weapon dropped from its shackle and rested momentarily on the closed bomb-bay doors with Captain Kulka splayed across it in the manner of Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove. Kulka grabbed at a bag that had providentially been stored in the bomb bay, while the more-than-three-ton bomb broke open the bomb-bay doors and fell earthward. The bag Kulka was holding came loose, and he found himself sliding after the bomb without his parachute. He managed to grab something-he wasn't sure what-and haul himself to safety. Moments later the plane was rocked by the shock wave of the blast when the bomb hit the ground.
Very interesting, sir.
I would say thanks for posting, but I'm a little freaked out right at the moment
"Robert McNamara, then Secretary of Defense, admitted that when the parachute-less bomb was found, its arming mechanism had accidentally gone through all but one of the seven steps toward detonation."
Well, at least it didn't happen in my state.
I was watching this earlier : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBmPcvcyFIA They talk about the missing nukes and talks about the ones dropped in the Carolinas and the one in Georgia. Didn't know they used to constantly fly preparedness mission around the us with live nukes, as well as war games with US bombers "nuking" US cities and the USAF trying to intercept, all this with live armed nukes.Originally Posted by Lt-Col A. Tack
Very interesting, sir. I would say thanks for posting, but I'm a little freaked out right at the moment"Robert McNamara, then Secretary of Defense, admitted that when the parachute-less bomb was found, its arming mechanism had accidentally gone through all but one of the seven steps toward detonation."
Very interesting, sir. Thanks for posting.
I feel we are quite lucky that we survived the cold war, even if it doesnt seem so.
So much madness.
Jesus ****, that was dangerously close!!!Very interesting, sir.
I would say thanks for posting, but I'm a little freaked out right at the moment
"Robert McNamara, then Secretary of Defense, admitted that when the parachute-less bomb was found, its arming mechanism had accidentally gone through all but one of the seven steps toward detonation."
Well, at least it didn't happen in my state.
Damn.
I thought it was bad enough that once at Indian Head MD when they were testing 16" guns down the Potomac River, they skipped one into some woman's yard killing her cow and destroying her front porch...
There were quite a few close calls with nuclear weapons. The most infamous one in the 90's; the rocket launch from Norway that spooked the Russian military.
Wait...is everyone claiming that the Air Force's failed strike on tobacco road is a good thing?!
I'm confused.
That sounds eerily like the ending scene in Dr. Strangelove.
WOW, I didn't know about these incidents. Crazy!!
Holyyyyy sh1111111111111111111t more than a few scary moments.
They have searched the Goldsboro site several times.
http://www2.wnct.com/news/2011/feb/0...ash-ar-764698/
There have been quite a few Broken Arrows. (Accidents with nuclear warheads. The Norway episode was NOT a Broken Arrow.)
"A short man, he jumped to pull himself up to get a look at where he thought the locking pin should be. Unfortunately, he evidently chose the emergency bomb-release mechanism for his handhold. The weapon dropped from its shackle and rested momentarily on the closed bomb-bay doors with Captain Kulka splayed across it in the manner of Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove. Kulka grabbed at a bag that had providentially been stored in the bomb bay, while the more-than-three-ton bomb broke open the bomb-bay doors and fell earthward."
That ain't nothin':
"A "Broken Arrow" nuclear weapons accident involving a MK17 occurred on May 22, 1957 when a B-36 crewman inadvertently leaned against a release mechanism that dropped an unarmed MK17 (the "nuclear capsule" for the primary was not installed) through closed bomb bay doors and on to the desert in New Mexico near Kirtland Air Force Base. The heavy explosive in the bomb exploded on impact, killing an unfortunate cow and digging a crater 12 feet deep and 25 feet in diameter. Everyone on the plane knew when the bomb fell: the B-36 jumped up a thousand feet."
Just a few details. The Mk17 was a 42,000lb 15Mt bomb. The bomb bay doors barely even slowed it down.
Then there was the Titan II accident that launched its 9 Mt warhead out of the silo like a Roman candle.
RIP to all the cows.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote