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This is a tad on the scary side:


http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/21/atomic-bomb-nearly-exploded-over-north-carolina-in-161-report-says/

According to the Yahoo article, that incident has been known about for quite some time. Its just not been as high profile.

If that single low voltage switch hadn't failed the world may have looked very different today

Yeah, perhaps their vile habit of putting cole slaw on pulled pork sandwiches would never have come to be. Oh well...

At least they found the devices afterwards.

 Dreadclaw69 wrote:
If that single low voltage switch hadn't failed the world may have looked very different today

Only a small part of the world mate.


Strange though that one little thing stops such a big thing happening.

 Evil_Toast wrote:
At least they found the devices afterwards.

That's just so awesome. ANOTHER thing possibly leaking radiation into the ocean.

 warpcrafter wrote:

 Evil_Toast wrote:
At least they found the devices afterwards.

That's just so awesome. ANOTHER thing possibly leaking radiation into the ocean.

If we still can't find it it can't be leaking enough radiation to cause damage.

 Dreadclaw69 wrote:
If that single low voltage switch hadn't failed the world may have looked very different today

No, the switch worked. Obviously the safety mechanisms on the bomb were completely inadequate and you never want to have a case where only one functions, but it didn't explode because the arming switch worked exactly like it was supposed to.

And no, the world wouldn't look very different today. NC would look very different, depending on how bad the fallout in more populated areas was, but this would have been a major tragedy, not a world-changing event.

 warpcrafter wrote:
Yeah, perhaps their vile habit of putting cole slaw on pulled pork sandwiches would never have come to be. Oh well...

How can you say such blasphemous things in public? Do you have no shame?

The incident reminded me of a movie I saw a while back. I googled it to find it was inspired by a real event in Europe:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Fish_Came_Out

 Peregrine wrote:

 Dreadclaw69 wrote:
If that single low voltage switch hadn't failed the world may have looked very different today

No, the switch worked. Obviously the safety mechanisms on the bomb were completely inadequate and you never want to have a case where only one functions, but it didn't explode because the arming switch worked exactly like it was supposed to.

And no, the world wouldn't look very different today. NC would look very different, depending on how bad the fallout in more populated areas was, but this would have been a major tragedy, not a world-changing event.

Don't you think the USSR might have used this opportune moment to make the Cold War hot?

This would have contaminated a good chunk of the eastern seaboard.

 Peregrine wrote:

 Dreadclaw69 wrote:
If that single low voltage switch hadn't failed the world may have looked very different today

No, the switch worked. Obviously the safety mechanisms on the bomb were completely inadequate and you never want to have a case where only one functions, but it didn't explode because the arming switch worked exactly like it was supposed to.

And no, the world wouldn't look very different today. NC would look very different, depending on how bad the fallout in more populated areas was, but this would have been a major tragedy, not a world-changing event.

I had meant failed, as in was the only device not to complete the arming step. Thank you for your correction though.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24183879

The accident occurred during the height of the Cold War between US and Russia, just over a year before the Cuban missile crisis brought nuclear fears to the US's front door.

Yup, no idea how it could have changed the face of the world.... it may also have sparked a US led push to start taking these weapons out of service after such a disaster

I remember reading about this in a school history book on the Cold war, back in the 80's.

Relapse wrote:
This is a tad on the scary side:


http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/21/atomic-bomb-nearly-exploded-over-north-carolina-in-161-report-says/

Per Dad's days...thats not the only one.

 Frazzled wrote:

Relapse wrote:
This is a tad on the scary side:


http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/21/atomic-bomb-nearly-exploded-over-north-carolina-in-161-report-says/

Per Dad's days...thats not the only one.

That's what I'm finding out. There was another wreck over Spain years back where 4 nukes were temporarily lost.

Wait, so I could have been living somewhere other than NC all my life?

Curse you safety measures! CURSE YOU!

 Kanluwen wrote:
Wait, so I could have been living somewhere other than NC all my life?

Curse you safety measures! CURSE YOU!

It must be terrible to be in a world where you can only live in the place you've been born



(posted by an Irish immigrant who moved to the US )

 Dreadclaw69 wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:
Wait, so I could have been living somewhere other than NC all my life?

Curse you safety measures! CURSE YOU!

It must be terrible to be in a world where you can only live in the place you've been born



(posted by an Irish immigrant who moved to the US )

I'd be really screwed. North Pangaeia isn't there any more.

You know, it's funny, the more I read about this the worse it looked like it was.

What I did not see is; why were the nukes loaded on the B52 just zipping around anyway? I thought "Special" weapons weren't transported routinely (by aircraft), not unless we raise our DEFCON standing. I imagine we also have a few loaded onto B-2s somewhere at all times. Did we just have them in the air all the time on alerts back then?

If it was a SAC bomber (likely) it was loitering on station or to/from. It wouldn't have been "transporting" the bombs but loitering as deterrant against a surprise strike. On the go code it would have went a' bombing.

Yes ladies and germs that was the Cold War.

 Ouze wrote:
You know, it's funny, the more I read about this the worse it looked like it was.

What I did not see is; why were the nukes loaded on the B52 just zipping around anyway? I thought "Special" weapons weren't transported routinely (by aircraft), not unless we raise our DEFCON standing. I imagine we also have a few loaded onto B-2s somewhere at all times. Did we just have them in the air all the time on alerts back then?

Because MAD. Also, ICBM's weren't around those days so as Frazzled pointed out, the plan was to always have a large presence of nuclear armed bombers fuelled/airborne and ready to go turn the Soviet Union into a asphalt parking lot at the first sign of trouble. Ever watch Dr Strangelove by the way?

Some light reading: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chrome_Dome

Right - I hadn't realized ICBM's were in their infancy still. That makes sense.

 Ouze wrote:
Right - I hadn't realized ICBM's were in their infancy still. That makes sense.

exactly. Its also a reason the Rooskies relied more heavily on missiles then we did originally. We had better bombers and a history of using them (read an Air Force with a lot of power and influence).

Some of that stuff if really scary sketchy gak.

Scary mistakes, like the largest nuke set off by America? Good thing they never tested it in Nevada, seeing as it turned out to be 2.5 times larger than planned, and incredibly "dirty" in comparison to other devices. Vegas could of been a different place today...

I'm just curious about the reason for this article. The reports on these accidents have been part of the public domain for decades now, why dig it up in 2013 to report on? Slow news day?

 Frazzled wrote:

 Dreadclaw69 wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:
Wait, so I could have been living somewhere other than NC all my life?

Curse you safety measures! CURSE YOU!

It must be terrible to be in a world where you can only live in the place you've been born



(posted by an Irish immigrant who moved to the US )

I'd be really screwed. North Pangaeia isn't there any more.

But what if I told you it could be?! Vote for me, form an unholy alliance between Walrus and Wiener Dog, and together we shall reform Pangaea and reclaim our destiny!

The Wiener Legions are in. One giant continent is perfect. We're not good swimmers...

But what about rivers?

What if Walrus is simply tricking you and instead he's planning on shutting you off in a continent sized gulag separated from the rest of the world by a few feet of water?

 Grey Templar wrote:
But what about rivers?

What if Walrus is simply tricking you and instead he's planning on shutting you off in a continent sized gulag separated from the rest of the world by a few feet of water?

We have a contingency.

 Frazzled wrote:

 Grey Templar wrote:
But what about rivers?

What if Walrus is simply tricking you and instead he's planning on shutting you off in a continent sized gulag separated from the rest of the world by a few feet of water?

We have a contingency.

On the bright side it means you have a natural barrier against liberal, hippies, and cats