Duke Almost Nuked

[dogpause]

CNN: On a January night in 1961, a U.S. Air Force bomber broke in half while flying over North Carolina. From the belly of the B-52 fell two bombs -- two nuclear bombs that hit the ground near the city of Goldsboro.
A disaster worse than the devastation wrought in Hiroshima and Nagasaki could have befallen the United States that night. But it didn't, thanks to a series of fortunate missteps.​

http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/12/us/north-carolina-nuclear-bomb-drop/index.html?hpt=hp_t2


Wow. What a catastrophe this could have been for our country. Could've happened anywhere.

 

[pj]

And 53 years later, we're still dependent on this same airplane. Imagine if you still had to drive 1950s automobiles.

 

[White Dwarf]

dook almost nooked

 

[PcketknfNiels]

Dook Nookem

 

[Mazhude]

A 17 mile "100 percent" kill radius... oh, and by the way, one of the bombs is still buried there.

 

[intlzncster]

A 17 mile "100 percent" kill radius... oh, and by the way, one of the bombs is still buried there.

Now that's a little ducked up.

 

[elduderino]

Incidents like this and the one in Spain have greatly influenced nuclear arms policy for the last 50 years. Even though our ICBM officers seem to have been around a bit lately, land and sea based missiles are generally regarded as far safer than flying the warheads around.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Now let’s hope Crazy Ivan thinks the same as Putin has been re-visiting some old Cold War tactics again.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/nuclear-capable-russian-bombers-intercepted-50-miles-calif-coast-article-1.1826944

 

[sammydabiz]

And 53 years later, we're still dependent on this same airplane. Imagine if you still had to drive 1950s automobiles.

The guts of the plane are scrapped, and modern tech is used bro, it's the shell of a b52 is still used.
It'd be like doing a resto-mod on a 52 Chevy wit power steering, windows, a/c, tranny.... The works

 

[AZHuskiePop]

My best friend was a b52 crew chief attached to SAC in the 60's.
They loaded and flew live hydrogen bombs all over the US,
He died of cancer at 40.

 

[CL82]

And 53 years later, we're still dependent on this same airplane. Imagine if you still had to drive 1950s automobiles.

B52 is one of the all time great airframes. The site of it terrorized the enemy in GWI

 

[Huskyforlife]

I thought this tread would be funny...

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I thought this tread would be funny...

Funny and Hiroshima and Nagasaki just do not go together well.

 

[ZenConn]

And 53 years later, we're still dependent on this same airplane

To release the bombs on top of Cameron indoor?

 

[Huskyforlife]

Funny and Hiroshima and Nagasaki just do not go together well.

No based on the title

 

[Goat]

And 53 years later, we're still dependent on this same airplane. Imagine if you still had to drive 1950s automobiles.

My dad's 1955 Cadillac Convertible was pretty sweet. I do imagine driving it.

 

[sledog]

What a catastrophe this could have been for our country. Could've happened anywhere.[/QUOTE]

It has. Another was lost in Wash state years back, and there are probably more.

 

[David 76]

I always wondered how many of our nukes were duds.

 

[UConnNick]

In the late 1950's eight Nike Ajax missiles blew up at a storage facility in Monmouth Co. NJ where I lived. 10 people were killed in the horrific explosions. The blast sent pieces of missiles flying into backyards in residential neighborhoods. Up to a mile away doors were blown off houses and a woman went flying across her living room. It's a miracle the loss of life was not significantly greater.