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Canadian army interested in old nuke that may have been found off Haida Gwaii in BC
- Diver finds nuclear device that was dumped or exploded off the B.C. coast on Feb. 13, 1950, when an American B-36 bomber crashed while en route from Alaska to Texas.
- Allegedly, it was packed with lead – not plutonium – and TNT. (Would they tell us if it was a real nuke?)
- None of the stories at the time of the crash detailed the payload the bomber had been carrying.
- But eventually it was discovered that the bomber’s mission was to simulate a nuclear attack on San Francisco, and the plane had been carrying a Mark IV nuclear weapon.
- The Mark IV was a giant bomb, weighing almost 11,000 pounds (4,900 kilograms). It was similar to the atomic bomb that killed 39,000 to 80,000 people in Nagasaki, Japan.
- The pilot said the bomb aboard the B-36 had lead in its core instead of plutonium, so it wasn’t a functional atomic bomb. But the crew decided to jettison it over water before abandoning the plane.
- Haida GwaiI was then called Queen Charlotte Islands, an idyllic, remote area.
Continue reading the entire article and see vintage images of newspaper reporting at the time of the crash. ALSO: Watch Video
The following VIDEO is a few years old, and tells the story of an investigation into the remains of the aircraft that had been carrying the nuke that was dumped into the ocean just before the plane crash.
I only watched about five minutes of it. I post it for those who are interested to learn more.
DIVER FINDS OLD NUKE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
By John Mackie, Vancouver Sun
Sean Smyrichinsky recently spent several hours diving for sea cucumbers off Pitt Island, near Haida Gwaii. He didn’t find any. But he decided to hop on his underwater scooter for one last look before calling it a day.
Flying around underwater, he spotted something unusual on the ocean floor.
“I found this big thing underwater, huge, never seen anything like it before,” Smyrichinsky related from Cortes Island.
“I came up telling all my buddies on the boat ‘Hey, I found a UFO. It’s really bizarre.’ And I drew a picture of it, because I didn’t have a camera.”
A couple of days later he ran into some fishermen and told them about his discovery.
“Nobody had ever seen it before or heard of it, (because) nobody ever dives there,” he said. “Then some old-timer said ‘Oh, you might have found that bomb.’”
“That bomb” was a nuclear device that was dumped or exploded off the B.C. coast on Feb. 13, 1950, when an American B-36 bomber crashed while en route from Alaska to Texas. It was packed with lead – not plutonium – and TNT.
Five crew members died but 12 were rescued after they parachuted onto Princess Royal Island, about 200 km south of Prince Rupert. They were forced to abandon the plane after ice built up on its wings and three of its six engines caught fire.
None of the stories at the time of the crash detailed the payload the bomber had been carrying. But eventually it was discovered that the bomber’s mission was to simulate a nuclear attack on San Francisco, and the plane had been carrying a Mark IV nuclear weapon.
The Mark IV was a giant bomb, weighing almost 11,000 pounds (4,900 kilograms). It was similar to the atomic bomb that killed 39,000 to 80,000 people in Nagasaki, Japan.
“Without a real bomb the support systems could not be tested,” explained one of the plane’s co-pilots in an interview you can find online.
“There were some dummy bombs made of concrete that were used for load testing, but we weren’t carrying one of those. This mission was to be as real as it gets short of war.”
The pilot said the bomb aboard the B-36 had lead in its core instead of plutonium, so it wasn’t a functional atomic bomb. But the crew decided to jettison it over water before abandoning the plane.
“I suggested to Capt. Barry that we must dump the bomb at sea because we were unsure of our position relative to inhabited areas on the ground and he agreed,” said the co-pilot.
“The large amount of TNT in the bomb could have caused major damage where it would have impacted.”
The pilot set the bomber on autopilot, and the plane flew on until it crashed into the side of Mount Kologet, about 300 km northeast of where the crew bailed out.
Smyrichinsky made his discovery in a remote area where there is no Internet. When he got back to Internet range, he started researching the “lost nuke” online, and came across a photo of a 1940s “Fat Man” nuclear bomb in two halves.
“The picture I found has the bomb in sections, they’ve got it taken apart,” he said. “And in the middle, there’s a great big thing that looks just like what I found.
“The Mark IV bomb uses these things called pit balls. These pit balls have the explosives in them, and they’re quite large, bigger than basketballs. So what I think I found was the housing that holds these pit balls.”
The unidentified object he found is quite large.
“I found this big bowl, at least 12 feet across, maybe bigger,” he said.
“Imagine a mushroom cap, it looks like that. The centre of it is sort of cut away. There’s a circle in the middle that I think goes right through.
“The bowls (inside the main bowl) are much larger than basketballs, maybe 24 inches across, 20 inches across. They’re very smooth on the inside and they’re all around the centre of this thing.”
Smyrichinsky said the object was about 50 feet (15 metres) underwater, off Boyle Point on Pitt Island. He no longer has his drawing, which was thrown out.
“I just did it on a napkin with a sharpie,” he said.
He emailed the Sun about his find last week, and also sent off an email to the Department of National Defence. DND sent him an email this week saying his story “had the collective attention” of DND staff, and that DND was “looking into this matter with keen interest.”
The five air force crew who were lost during the crash probably landed in the ocean and died from hypothermia. No bodies were found despite an intense search, but in 1952 a fisherman snagged a parachute off Princess Royal Island.
The parachute was attached to a military boot, and inside was someone’s foot. It was buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis following a ceremony honouring the five missing crew members.
In 2001 a daughter of one of the missing persuaded the air force to do a DNA analysis on the foot, and it turned out to be Staff Sgt. Elbert W. Pollard. The identified remains were placed in a casket buried after a ceremony at San Francisco National Cemetery.
![Atomic Bombs. Awesome Violence of a atomic explosion is graphically depicted in this picture of a test blast today at U.S. Government's Nevada proving grounds. Associated Press photographer Hal Filan made picture with a 28-inch lens, seven miles away from explosion scene. Dated March 18, 1953. Hal Filan Associated Press. Photo Digitization Project 2016 [PNG Merlin Archive]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sfqJChbw4WXK9g_ST924fbMFzKzWvb0ihXNfFyHdZixz7hoDbMa_BVyE2j76HZAvQRSL11rQSJOXfq7d_4CCTuImEhDlCzyuTRBUdBFGckanLbJKxaeu0UP7ex9cKD6hhpLErmobjjmCzLr95BIHvR4GIAqzZtEf7mTqXa2WjqGnvQsc0_UtU7Y1XelrFAtLcVwkQgyKw0RmebWkW_8Fw=s0-d)
The awesome violence of an atomic explosion is graphically depicted in this March 18, 1953 photo of a test blast at the U.S. Government’s Nevada proving grounds. Associated Press photographer Hal Filan made picture with a 28-inch lens, seven miles away from explosion scene.
![Feb. 14, 1950. Front page of the Vancouver Sun the day after an American B-36 bomber crashed off the British Columbia coast. Nobody knew it at the time, but the plane carried a nuclear weapon. For a John Mackie story. [PNG Merlin Archive]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uXHDLGoUaRoquDYs42o7NwQhBY_M05qQFzcebDYHb_uT9gW0nL5nXH-yr75bW2KGTKxhZaHo0cXveZXDBY7Auv9mBSer4lx-ehJGn01-6R764iPoxbDD-HG6Z35ERAh60q-8pQ1zipaxlLDgQ3scMv5Rpk4ucfe_5vwQ3bYqTkwASYngyGSjZCDyOm3yEEeUQHGrBAvg13TRwyfI10IA=s0-d)
![Feb. 14, 1950. Vancouver Sin story on the crash of a B-36 bomber on the British Columbia coast. The plane was carrying a nuclear weapon, although people didn't know it at the time. For a John Mackie story. [PNG Merlin Archive]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_u9LQdiwPlpZWA2I4lfns83NJLTTK70QsFnKRrvc4NV7rSG8M7YI7mpeRLLVBOEO0p2F_mOhpxI2D1084hVeFuDXQlKNJ_59xGya40g3UAXgU3aFanxToIlJ0rhrJXT39ybGOjFIaJxIpwG50sgbYEYh2gibUU1ksycFZViLKQjTqbCV3oQDIQDWD0n8WtZANG1JmwZjcUjbSJDN37FpQ=s0-d)
![Feb. 15, 1950. Vancouver Sin story on the rescue of US airmen that went down in the crash of a B-36 bomber carrying a nuclear weapon. For a John Mackie story. [PNG Merlin Archive]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_saGhaN35EXhkIN9UH10qH15Jh1NNV7ECh5c6OxcosfCEJWIyQTH51x5hxSn6djbJHdJ_PG6CVFIBDv7k42ZDnn6G7duLpD7nooukJENtOu96qCvieTDJE7HVsRVLDJ7Diz-uT9kUq-bDz_4LLx3prvn6bpRlVlmP9nE2xADR24d612CNXHA_GL7YTnZMHPLIKcqBcKi5KGfBOfmIgTJA=s0-d)
![Feb. 14, 1950. Map from the Vancouver Sun speculating on the flight path an American B-36 bomber which crashed off the British Columbia coast on Feb. 13, 1950. The map is way off - 12 crew members were later found on Princess Royal Island, close to Haida Gwaii (then known as the Queen Charlottes). For a John Mackie story. [PNG Merlin Archive]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_u_KNtxIw1rz8k5cIgKs57ZzpKTq_KIm5vKyoBPm60P7wJKDlY8fBznNtZnRsKZLvVtlCJLExL6kKSybU7MpY0U4AAeOvLMwafWJLHmqHz70qNFno7WSps9IU2WXVxUddvuv_kc9g7uSnibsWy-k2kWOu39Z3kaqK9CLjBQRTDh_-SLqatonJUWRy_jYpUQbjQZE1glvvqCpJqiTFaBRw=s0-d)
Feb. 14, 1950. Map from the Vancouver Sun speculating on the flight path an American B-36 bomber which crashed off the British Columbia coast on Feb. 13, 1950. The map is way off — 12 crew members were later found on Princess Royal Island, close to Haida Gwaii (then known as the Queen Charlottes).
SOURCE
http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/canadian-army-interested-in-old-nuke-that-may-have-been-found-off-haida-gwaii
What was left of the crashed plane after government authorities ordered it to be blown up.
RELATED:
BROKEN ARROWS
AND THE LOST AND NEVER RECOVERED NUKES
FROM ATOMIC ARCHIVE, the list of known Broken Arrows.
Since 1950, there have been 32 nuclear weapon accidents, known as "Broken Arrows."
A Broken Arrow is defined as an unexpected event involving nuclear weapons that result in the accidental launching, firing, detonating, theft or loss of the weapon.
To date, six nuclear weapons have been lost and never recovered.
Examples of nuclear weapons accidents:
1950s
Date: November 10, 1950
Location: Quebec, Canada
A B-50 jettisoned a Mark 4 bomb over the St. Lawrence River near Riviere-du-Loup, about 300 miles northeast of Montreal. The weapon's HE [high explosive] detonated on impact. Although lacking its essential plutonium core, the explosion did scatter nearly 100 pounds (45 kg) of uranium. The plane later landed safely at a U.S. Air Force base in Maine.
Location: Quebec, Canada
A B-50 jettisoned a Mark 4 bomb over the St. Lawrence River near Riviere-du-Loup, about 300 miles northeast of Montreal. The weapon's HE [high explosive] detonated on impact. Although lacking its essential plutonium core, the explosion did scatter nearly 100 pounds (45 kg) of uranium. The plane later landed safely at a U.S. Air Force base in Maine.
Date: March 10, 1956
Location: Exact Location Unknown
Carrying two nuclear capsules on a nonstop flight from MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida to an overseas base, a B-47 was reported missing. It failed to make contact with a tanker over the Mediterranean for a second refueling. No trace was ever found of the plane.
Location: Exact Location Unknown
Carrying two nuclear capsules on a nonstop flight from MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida to an overseas base, a B-47 was reported missing. It failed to make contact with a tanker over the Mediterranean for a second refueling. No trace was ever found of the plane.
Date: July 27, 1956
Location: Great Britain
A B-47 bomber crashed into a nuclear weapons storage facility at the Lakenheath Air Base in Suffolk, England, during a training exercise. The nuclear weapons storage facility, known as an "igloo," contained three Mark 6 bombs. Preliminary exams by bomb disposal officers said it was a miracle that one Mark 6 with exposed detonators sheared didn't explode. The B-47's crew was killed.
Location: Great Britain
A B-47 bomber crashed into a nuclear weapons storage facility at the Lakenheath Air Base in Suffolk, England, during a training exercise. The nuclear weapons storage facility, known as an "igloo," contained three Mark 6 bombs. Preliminary exams by bomb disposal officers said it was a miracle that one Mark 6 with exposed detonators sheared didn't explode. The B-47's crew was killed.
1960s
Date: January 24, 1961
Location: North Carolina, United States
While on airborne alert, a B-52 suffered structural failure of its right wing, resulting in the release of two nuclear weapons. One weapon landed safely with little damage. The second fell free and broke apart near the town of Goldsboro, North Carolina. Some of the uranium from that weapon could not be recovered. No radiological contamination was detectable in the area.
Location: North Carolina, United States
While on airborne alert, a B-52 suffered structural failure of its right wing, resulting in the release of two nuclear weapons. One weapon landed safely with little damage. The second fell free and broke apart near the town of Goldsboro, North Carolina. Some of the uranium from that weapon could not be recovered. No radiological contamination was detectable in the area.
1970s
Date: April 12, 1970
Location: Atlantic Ocean
A Soviet "November"-class nuclear-powered attack submarine experienced an apparent nuclear propulsion problem in the Atlantic Ocean about 300 miles northwest of Spain. Although an attempt to attach a tow line from a Soviet bloc merchant ship; the submarine apparently sank, killing 52.
Location: Atlantic Ocean
A Soviet "November"-class nuclear-powered attack submarine experienced an apparent nuclear propulsion problem in the Atlantic Ocean about 300 miles northwest of Spain. Although an attempt to attach a tow line from a Soviet bloc merchant ship; the submarine apparently sank, killing 52.
Date: November 22, 1975
Location: Off Sicily, Italy
The aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy and the cruiser USS Belknap collided in rough seas at night during exercises. Although it was declared as "a possible nuclear weapons accident," no subsequent nuclear contamination was discovered during the fire and rescue operations.
Location: Off Sicily, Italy
The aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy and the cruiser USS Belknap collided in rough seas at night during exercises. Although it was declared as "a possible nuclear weapons accident," no subsequent nuclear contamination was discovered during the fire and rescue operations.
1980s
Date: October 3, 1986
Location: Atlantic Ocean
A Soviet "Yankee I"-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine suffered an explosion and fire in one of its missile tubes 480 miles east of Bermuda. The submarine sank while under tow on October 6 in 18,000 feet of water. Two nuclear reactors and approximately 34 nuclear weapons were on board.
Location: Atlantic Ocean
A Soviet "Yankee I"-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine suffered an explosion and fire in one of its missile tubes 480 miles east of Bermuda. The submarine sank while under tow on October 6 in 18,000 feet of water. Two nuclear reactors and approximately 34 nuclear weapons were on board.
Date: April 7, 1989
Location: Atlantic Ocean
About 300 miles north of the Norwegian coast, the Komsomolets, a Soviet nuclear-powered attack submarine, caught fire and sank. The vessel's nuclear reactor, two nuclear-armed torpedoes, and 42 of the 69 crew members were lost.
Location: Atlantic Ocean
About 300 miles north of the Norwegian coast, the Komsomolets, a Soviet nuclear-powered attack submarine, caught fire and sank. The vessel's nuclear reactor, two nuclear-armed torpedoes, and 42 of the 69 crew members were lost.
Date: August 10, 1985
Location: Near Vladivostok, Russia
While at the Chazhma Bay repair facility, about 35 miles from Vladivostok, an "Echo"-class Soviet nuclear-powered submarine suffered a reactor explosion. The explosion released a cloud of radioactivity toward Vladivostok but did not reach the city. Ten officers were killed in the explosion.
Location: Near Vladivostok, Russia
While at the Chazhma Bay repair facility, about 35 miles from Vladivostok, an "Echo"-class Soviet nuclear-powered submarine suffered a reactor explosion. The explosion released a cloud of radioactivity toward Vladivostok but did not reach the city. Ten officers were killed in the explosion.
1990s
Date: September 27, 1991
Location: White Sea
A missile launch malfunction occurred during a test launch on a "Typhoon"-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.
Location: White Sea
A missile launch malfunction occurred during a test launch on a "Typhoon"-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.
Date: March 20, 1993
Location: Barents Sea
The U.S. nuclear-powered submarine Grayling collided with a Russian Delta III nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. Both vessels reportedly suffered only minor damage.
Location: Barents Sea
The U.S. nuclear-powered submarine Grayling collided with a Russian Delta III nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. Both vessels reportedly suffered only minor damage.
Date: February 11, 1992
Location: Barents Sea
A collision between a CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) "Sierra"-class nuclear-powered attack submarine with the U.S. nuclear-powered attack submarine Baton Rouge. Both vessels reportedly suffered only minor damage. There is a dispute over the location of the incident in or outside Russian territorial waters.
Location: Barents Sea
A collision between a CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) "Sierra"-class nuclear-powered attack submarine with the U.S. nuclear-powered attack submarine Baton Rouge. Both vessels reportedly suffered only minor damage. There is a dispute over the location of the incident in or outside Russian territorial waters.
2000s
Date: August 12, 2000
Location: Barents Sea
The CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) "Oscar II" class submarine, Kursk, sinks after a massive onboard explosion. Attempts to resuce the 118 men fail. It is thought that a torpedo failure caused the accident. Radiation levels are normal and the submarine had no nuclear weapons on board.
Location: Barents Sea
The CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) "Oscar II" class submarine, Kursk, sinks after a massive onboard explosion. Attempts to resuce the 118 men fail. It is thought that a torpedo failure caused the accident. Radiation levels are normal and the submarine had no nuclear weapons on board.
Sources:
U.S. Defense Department
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
National Security Archive
Greenpeace
Joshua Handler, Princeton University
United Press International
The Associated Press
Blind Man's Bluff : The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage
Read full list of broken arrows - http://www.atomicarchive.com/Almanac/Brokenarrows_static.shtml
U.S. Defense Department
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
National Security Archive
Greenpeace
Joshua Handler, Princeton University
United Press International
The Associated Press
Blind Man's Bluff : The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage
Read full list of broken arrows - http://www.atomicarchive.com/Almanac/Brokenarrows_static.shtml
LINK TO THE BROKEN ARROWS ARTICLE
Related:
Confirmed: Nuclear bomb almost exploded over South Caroline in 1961
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2013/09/revealed-nuclear-bomb-almost-exploded.html
ARTICLES ON NUCLEAR NEWS, INCLUDING ACCIDENTS, on this blog
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/search/label/Nuclear
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