Selected Accidents Involving Nuclear Weapons 1950
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Transcript of Selected Accidents Involving Nuclear Weapons 1950
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7/24/2019 Selected Accidents Involving Nuclear Weapons 1950
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Selected Accidents Involving Nuclear Weapons 1950-1993
Greenpeace March 1996
The twenty-three accidents listed below involving U.S., Soviet, and Russian nuclear weaponsor nuclear-armed ships and submarines are some of the more serious nuclear accidents to
befall U.S. and Soviet nuclear forces.
As a result of accidents, some 5 nuclear warheads were lost into sea !"" Soviet and # U.S.
$owever, at least one Soviet warhead was recovered%. Also, seven nuclear reactors !5 Soviet
and & U.S.% from three Soviet and two U.S. nuclear-powered submarines have been lost at sea
due to accidents. Another ' nuclear reactors from nuclear-powered vessels have been
deliberately dumped at sea !( Soviet and U.S.%.
The U.S. )avy is *nown to have e+perienced at least ( nuclear weapons incidents, but the
details are not *nown. t assumed that other countries with nuclear weapons have had similar
nuclear weapons accidents or incidents, but official secrecy means that no information is
available.
The nuclear nations/ operational arsenals contain over &, nuclear weapons. Their
militaries still retain hundreds of nuclear-armed launchers and nuclear-capable military units.
The threat of a serious nuclear weapons accident has not disappeared with the end of the 0old
1ar. This is particularly the case where the arms race remains the most active2 at sea where
nuclear-armed and nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines still go on regular patrols at
levels that have not changed much if at all from the height of the 0old 1ar.
f history is a guide, nuclear weapons safety probably has been a problem for the non-
declared nuclear powers li*e ndia and srael and for other countries that have had or do have
incipient nuclear weapons programs. The e+perience of the U.S. and the Soviet Union
suggests not only are nuclear arsenals e+traordinarily e+pensive but they also come with
serious safety, health, and environmental costs.
. 11 A!I" 19502 Shortly after departing 3irtland Air 4orce ase !A4% in )ew 6e+ico, a
U.S. -&' bomber carrying a nuclear bomb crashed into a mountain. The bomb was
destroyed but its nuclear capsule with the fissile materials, which was also on board theaircraft, had not been inserted for safety reasons.
&. 10 MA!#$ 19562 A U.S. Air 4orce -"# bomber carrying two capsules of nuclear
materials for nuclear bombs, en route from 6ac7ill A4, 4lorida, to 8urope, failed to meet
its aerial refueling plane over the 6editerranean Sea. An e+tensive search failed to locate any
traces of the missing aircraft or crew.
. %& '(") 19562 7uring a routine deployment to 8ngland, a U.S. -"# bomber s*idded and
slid off a runway at 9a*enheath Royal Air 4orce !RA4% ase. The plane burst into flames and
crashed into a nuclear bomb storage igloo in which there were three 6ar* : nuclear bombs.
The bombs did not e+plode.
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". 1* A(G(S+ 19592 A helicopter engine e+ploded on board the U.S. aircraft carrier USS
1asp !0;S-(% which was operating &5 miles off )orfol*, ;irginia. As fires raged, the
ship/s crew prepared to flood the nuclear weapons magacean.
#. 5 .#M/! 19652 1hile the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga !0;A-"% steamed
en route from bombing operations off ;ietnam to the U.S. )avy base at @o*osu*a, ?apan, an
A-"8 attac* et loaded with a -" thermonuclear bomb rolled off the )umber & elevator, and
san* in :, feet of water. The aircraft carrier was positioned about # miles from theRyu*u slands and about & miles east of >*inawa. The bomb, aircraft and pilot were not
recovered.
(. 1& 'AN(A!) 19662 A collision occurred between a U.S. -5& nuclear bomber and a 30-
5 tan*er aircraft while over the village of =alomares in southern Spain. The -5& was on
an airborne alert operation and carried four -&( thermonuclear bombs. n the collision, the
30-5 e+ploded and caused the -5& to brea* up, scattering wrec*age over a sBuare
mile area. >ne of the four nuclear bombs landed relatively intact, while the high e+plosives in
two other bombs detonated upon impact with the ground scattering radioactive materials over
the village and surrounding area. The fourth bomb fell into the sea and was recovered intact
three months later after an e+tensive underwater search.
'. %1 'AN(A!) 196*2 A U.S. -5&C nuclear bomber crashed on the ice seven miles west of
Thule Air ase in northern Creenland. The aircraft was on a airborne alert flight and carried
four -&( thermonuclear bombs. Upon impact with the ice the bomber e+ploded and all four
nuclear bombs were destroyed, scattering radioactive materials over a large area.
. *-10 MA!#$ 196*2 The 3-&', a Soviet Colf class !=roect :&'6% diesel-powered
ballistic missile submarine armed with three nuclear SS-)-5 missiles, san* in the =acific,
about #5 miles northwest of the sland of >ahu, $awaii. The submarine possibly also
carried two nuclear torpedoes.
. %& MA) 196*2 The U.S. nuclear-powered submarine USS Scorpion !SS)-5('% san*
about " miles southwest of the AR torpedoes.
&. 1% A!I" 19&02 The 3-(, a Soviet )ovember class !=roect :A% nuclear-powered
attac* submarine, san* in the Atlantic >cean miles northwest of Spain. The submarine
was powered by two nuclear reactors and carried two nuclear torpedoes.
. %9 NM/! 19&02 A fire bro*e out in the stern of the U.S. )avy submarine tender
USS 0anopus !AS-"% while it was at the $oly 9och submarine base in Scotland. The tendercarried several nuclear-armed missiles and two U.S. nuclear-powered ballistic missile
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submarines were moored alongside. t too* four hours to bring the fire under control and
three men were *illed.
". %% NM/! 19&52 The U.S. aircraft carrier USS ?ohn 4. 3ennedy !0;-:#% collided
with the cruiser USS el*nap !0C-&:% in rough seas at night during air e+ercises in the
6editerranean Sea off Sicily. The collision caused maor fires and e+plosions, and thecommander of 0arrier Stri*ing 4orce for the Si+th 4leet issued a Dro*en ArrowD message --
at top secret communication about a nuclear weapons accident -- warning of a Dhigh
probability that nuclear weapons on the USS el*nap were involved in fire and e+plosions.D
8ventually, the nuclear weapons barely escaped destruction as the fire was contained ust feet
from the forward weapons maga
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&. %0 MA!#$ 19932 A Russian 7elta class !=roect ::#7R% nuclear-powered ballistic
missile submarine is struc* by the U.S. nuclear-powered attac* submarine USS Crayling
!SS)-:":% while operating in the arents Sea close to the 3ola =eninsula. The submarine
suffered slight damage and was able to return to base, but the collision could have sun* the
7elta submarine including its : SS-)-( nuclear armed missiles.