Throughout the twentieth century, the US “lost” up to six planes loaded with nuclear weapons. Today they still do not appear

A few years ago we told a story that, if not because it was completely true, could go through the script of a black comedy. It turns out that The United States lost at least three nuclear bombs during the Cold War. The Plot Twist was never located. The story, in reality, is much worse. The nation has been left along the way, which is known, up to six nuclear “bombs”, and that is also known, continue in the same place where they once lost.

Six times, know. The figures are even higher if we observe the frame more widely. Throughout history, the United States Army has been responsible for At least 32 documented incidents of accidents with nuclear weaponsknown in military jargon Like Broken Arrow. These events may involve accidental launch or detonation, theft or even the loss of a nuclear pump.

We are going to detail this last case for a simple reason: if they have been lost and not detonated, they can be a danger somewhere. These are six of the most shocking cases in which a nuclear bomb disappeared Without leaving a trace.

The B-36 incident. The story takes place About the Pacific on February 13, 1950. In the context of a nuclear attack simulation against the Soviet Union, a BOMBARDERO B-36 destined for Texas from Alaska began experiencing failures in the engines in full flight.

Since a safe landing was impossible, the crew was forced to get rid of the “load”, including in the equation its Mark 4 nuclear pump on some part of the Pacific Ocean. According to the army, the bomb did not contain plutonium in its nucleus, so it could not generate a nuclear explosion to use, although it did have uranium and TNT. Neither the pump nor its components were ever recovered.

The mysterious case of B-47. The facts are given on The Mediterranean on March 10, 1956. A BUMBARERO B-47 STRATOJET He took off from the Macdill Air Force base in Florida in the direction of Morocco, transporting two nuclear capsules. What happened? That during its journey, the plane had to refue in flight over the Mediterranean Sea, but never reached the meeting point. The aircraft disappeared without leaving any traceand to date no evidence of his whereabouts has been found or, of course, of the nuclear load he transported.

A lost bomb in the Savannah River. The third event occurred on February 5, 1958. During a simulated combat mission, a BOMBARDERO B-47 accidentally crashed with a F-86 huntingseriously damaged.

What happened? Given the impossibility of landing safely, the crew decided what you are imagining: launch the Mark 15 of 3,400 kilograms at the mouth of the Savannah Rivernear the city of Savannah, Georgia. Although the aircraft managed to land without incident, the pump was never recovered and remains missing until today.

The Goldsboro catastrophe. History now leads us to North Carolina on January 24, 1961. A BOMBARDERO B-52 that performed an alert mission suffered a structural failure in full flight and broke in the air.

Again, on board he carried two nuclear bombs. One of them activated its emergency parachute and landed without detonating, however, the other crashed into the ground. Although the government claimed to have recovered most of the starry bomb, the truth is that It is still believed that parts of it remain buried in a culture area near the city. In 2012, North Carolina erected a commemorative sign at the accident site.

Disappearance in the Pacific. The December 5, 1965. A combat plane A-4E Skyhawkequipped with a nuclear bomb, fell into the sea From the USS Ticonderoga aircraft carrier while operating in the Philippines sea, near Japan. The aircraft, the pilot and the weapon were never found. In this regard, in 1989 The United States admitted that the bomb was still at the bottom of the seaabout 128 kilometers from a small Japanese island, which generated outrage between the Japanese government and environmental groups.

Classified information. The last of the events is the most diffuse of all and occurred in the spring of 1968, when the United States lost a nuclear weapon whose scope (and load) has never been specified.

Although the pentagon has never revealed details, It is speculated that it could be related to the USS Scorpion nuclear submarinethe same as It disappeared in May of that year in the Atlantic along with a crew of 99 people. The connection between the disappearance of scorpion And a possible loss of nuclear weapons is still the subject of conjecture.

That said, this and the rest of the incidents highlight the dangers associated with the management of nuclear weapons. If you want also, they show that, Throughout the Cold War And beyond, the United States has faced situations in which mass destruction bombs have been lost without being recovered.

Image | Kelly Michals

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