Third Strike
Member
Incidentally, there was a place mentioned in one of the Fallout 3 DLCs called the Broken Banks, which might be referencing the Outer Banks. Goldsboro isn't too far away from that area...
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
US nearly detonated atomic bomb over North Carolina secret document
- Thread starter Ether_Snake
- Start date
- Status
Incidentally, there was a place mentioned in one of the Fallout 3 DLCs called the Broken Banks, which might be referencing the Outer Banks. Goldsboro isn't too far away from that area...
KefkaPalazzo
Member
SolidusDave
Member
How likely is it for an atomic bomb to explode w/o entering the proper code / actually arming it?
I thought they were designed to be basically inactive otherwise, even when crashing with a plane etc. Was that different in the 60s?
I thought they were designed to be basically inactive otherwise, even when crashing with a plane etc. Was that different in the 60s?
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
No amount of lasers, explosions or physical trauma will trigger an implosion type bomb. However the case here was supposed to be that it had an impact detonator - the bomb was rigged to go off when it hit something, unless such and such safety things were disarmed. In 1961, Permissive Action Link tech (the safeties on modern weapons) were under development but not deployed. In 1962 the order to equip the entire US arsenal with the PAL systems was given, and this accident in OP (1961) may have been part of the reasoning behind this.
Yep, that's pretty much how the scientific method works.
Fuck em if they can't take a joke...
sparky2112
Member
The bombs we dropped on Japan were two different designs - only one of which was tested. We couldn't produce enough material for more tests, so one of the two drops (Nagasaki, I think?) was a crapshoot.
Maybe the second one ended up in Fayetteville. If I was unexploded ordinance dropped in Fayetteville, I'd want to explode. Really anywhere the zipcode starts with 283XX
Alright NC-GAF, assemble! Get yer metal detectors and diggin tools and we'll find that bomb and sell it back to the government (what would they pay us with, Monopoly money?) and use the money to get better servers for GAF.
I remember hearing something about that a few years ago, or maybe it was a similar situation in South of Carolina where a bomb got dropped accidentally.
I remember hearing something about that a few years ago, or maybe it was a similar situation in South of Carolina where a bomb got dropped accidentally.
so what am I not following in the article...
it says "the final switch that prevented disaster could easily have been shorted by an electrical jolt, leading to a nuclear burst."
so why did the bombs not go off? the switch needs to be activated and they only do that if they are actively bombing something?
it says "the final switch that prevented disaster could easily have been shorted by an electrical jolt, leading to a nuclear burst."
so why did the bombs not go off? the switch needs to be activated and they only do that if they are actively bombing something?
Joel Was Right
Member
In truth, such incidents haven't been rare.
Silphonica
Banned
Underworld recovery.
foxuzamaki
Doesn't read OPs, especially not his own
Thats some fucked up shit
How did they know which ones failed if they never found the bomb?
there were 2! They did find the one.
seems to be conflicting info on exactly why they didn't go off.
Wikipedia:
"The fourth arming device the pilot's safe/arm switch was not activated preventing detonation."
They only had one test detonation. That was the Trinity test at the White Sands Proving Grounds in New Mexico.
Trinity tested an implosion type nuclear weapon. The one at Hiroshima was a gun type, and the one at Nagasaki was an implosion type.
*Checks to see how far she lives from Goldsboro*
Okay, I'm like 4-5 hours away from this missing 4 megaton hydrogen bomb. Everything should be fine then, right?
In all seriousness, the bomb (or whatever remains of it) probably is hundreds of feet below the surface, covered in dirt or whatever else. Imagine being the person who stumbles across it though.
"Hey guys, I found the missing hydrogen bomb!"
Okay, I'm like 4-5 hours away from this missing 4 megaton hydrogen bomb. Everything should be fine then, right?
In all seriousness, the bomb (or whatever remains of it) probably is hundreds of feet below the surface, covered in dirt or whatever else. Imagine being the person who stumbles across it though.
"Hey guys, I found the missing hydrogen bomb!"
Lucky Forward
Member
"Best before November 1959"
Khalifa Jayy
Banned
Fuck, GAF I had an evening of fun planned but now all I want to read about close calls...
ChainedMaster
Banned
http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/21/4755600/us-atomic-bomb-north-carolina-accident-1961
The document says the bombs should have detonated parachutes were deployed and triggers were armed, but one low-voltage switch failed to activate as it should have, preventing what would have been devastating and widespread damage.
So basically, a very simple mechanism, the mechanism you would expect not to fail, failed.
When you have multiple Nuclear weapons in the air 24 hours a day for 30 plus years. This shit is bound to happen. It is a risk our brilliant governments deemed worthy.
-And the of course our trustworthy government suppresses the information for the good of the citizenry.
This is beyond insane. Imagine if that happened and the US accidentally killed millions of their own. This would have changed everything. Other military forces would perhaps seize the opportunity to invade during the fallout and whatnot.
This is the stuff why some people believe in god. A nuke dropped and some little voltage switch happens to fail. Something that works 99.999% of the times it used.
This is the stuff why some people believe in god. A nuke dropped and some little voltage switch happens to fail. Something that works 99.999% of the times it used.
You think one of our politicians would have taken responsibility and said "We Dun Goof'd," Fuck no, they would have been heading to their bunkers while nuking the USSR.
The only God I can see trying to burn up NC is R'hllor.
1950's engineers and their (last) failsafe saved the day.
vas_a_morir
Banned
The only God I can see trying to burn up NC is R'hllor.
1950's engineers and their (last) failsafe saved the day.
The Red God can even bring threads back to life.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
- Locked
- Locked