DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE HAVE BEEN 32 ACCIDENTS INVOLVING US NUCLEAR WEAPONS?

Do you know what a Broken Arrow is? A "Broken Arrow" is what the US Military refers to as a nuclear weapon that has been lost, has malfunctioned or accidentally detonated. Believe it or not, between the US Air Force and the US Navy, there has been at least one Broken Arrow reported between 1950 and 1980.

And King George worries that Saddam had nukes? The world should probably be worried that anyone has nukes.

Check out this short list of Broken Arrows.



From Broken Arrow And Broken Trust:

A History of Broken Arrows: Other Nuclear Incidents

According to official reports, there were at least 32 accidents involving nuclear weapons between 1950 and 1980. The Department of Defense has documented at least one such incident every year since 1950. In 1961, it was this alarming number of near-detonations, in addition to the particularly dangerous situation at Goldsboro, that prompted President John F. Kennedy to place many new safety devices on the U.S. nuclear arsenal and encourage the Soviet Union to do the same. All "broken arrows" described below involve the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force; the Army has not disclosed the details of any of its nuclear accidents.

March 10, 1956 over the Mediterranean Sea

A B-47 bomber carrying two nuclear weapons disappeared over the open ocean. An extensive search of the area ensued. However, the crew, the plane, and its weapons were never found.

July 28, 1957 over the Atlantic Ocean

A C-124 transport aircraft with mechanical problems had to release its two nuclear weapons off the east coast of the United States in order to reduce its weight before landing. Both bombs landed in the Atlantic and sank instantly. Neither device was ever found.

February 5, 1958 at Savannah River, Georgia

A B-47 bomber collided with a F-86 fighter in midair, forcing it to make an emergency landing. In order to prevent the nuclear weapons that it was carrying from detonating upon landing, the B-47 dropped its weapon over Tybee Sound on the Savannah River. Despite extensive searches, the bomb was never found.

November 26, 1958 at Chennault Air Force Base, Lake Charles, Louisiana

A B-47 bomber caught fire on the ground, completely destroying the nuclear weapon that it was carrying. The immediate area around the plane was contaminated by radioactive material.

July 6, 1959 at Barksdale Air Force Base, Bossier City, Louisiana

A C-124 transport aircraft carrying a nuclear weapon crashed during takeoff, engulfing both the plane and its weapon in flames. There was a "limited amount" of contamination in the immediate area, but it did not hamper firefighting operations.

September 25, 1959 near Whidbey Island, Washington

A U.S. Navy P-5M aircraft carrying a nuclear depth charge crashed into Puget Sound near Whidbey Island, Washington. The weapon was never found.

December 8, 1964 at Grissom Air Force Base, Peru, Indiana

A B-58 bomber lost control during takeoff and ran off the runway. Parts of the plane's five nuclear weapons burned in the ensuing fire. None of the devices detonated and there was little contamination other than in the immediate area surrounding the accident.

October 11, 1965 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio

A C-124 transport plane caught fire while refueling, destroying the aircraft's fuselage and spreading radiation around the aircraft.

December 5, 1965 aboard USS Ticonderoga in the Pacific Ocean

An A-4E Skyhawk, carrying nuclear weapons, fell overboard from the aircraft carrier's elevator and sank 16,000 feet to the bottom of the Pacific. The Navy claimed that the incident occurred "500 miles away from land," but it was later discovered that the incident took place merely miles from the Japanese island chain of Ryukyu.

January 17, 1966 at Palomares, Spain

A B-52 on an SAC "airborne alert" mission out of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina, collided with a KC-135 tanker plane during refueling. The plane was severely damaged, dropping its three nuclear weapons over Palomares. One of the bombs spread its radioactive material over the Spanish countryside, forcing the U.S. government to move 1,400 tons of contaminated soil to an American storage area. Another device fell into the Mediterranean Sea, prompting one of the largest search operations in history. The errant bomb was eventually found and recovered on April 7, 1966. The third bomb landed in Palomares nearly intact, spreading no radiation.

January 21, 1968 at Thule, Greenland

A B-52 bomber developed a fire in its navigation compartment, forcing it to crash land four miles from the Air Force Base at Thule. All four of the nuclear bombs that it was carrying were destroyed in the accident, spreading radioactive material over 300 yards of frozen tundra. The plane involved was on an SAC "airborne alert" mission.

Spring 1968 aboard USS Scorpion in the Atlantic Ocean

The nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Scorpion was lost at sea after possibly colliding with a Soviet vessel. It was carrying an undisclosed number of nuclear weapons. The vessel was last contacted on May 21, 1968. Its remains were eventually found 400-500 miles southwest of the Azores in 19,000 feet of water, but the lost weapons were never recovered.