South Carolina became a Cold War casualty when the USAF accidentally dropped a nuclear bomb on the state
By Todd Neikirk,
9 hours ago
Beginning in the late 1940s and continuing throughout the Cold War , the United States and the Soviet Union were locked in a perilous arms race. During this period, both nations regularly tested their weapons, leading to numerous incidents. One of the most notable occurred in 1958 in Mars Bluff, South Carolina, resulting in a particularly dangerous event.
The United States continued developing bombs after World War II
The Second World War was a harrowing conflict. The US brought it to a close in the summer of 1945 by dropping the atomic bombs Little Boy and Fat Man on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nonetheless, the nation continued to advance its development of newer and more powerful nuclear weapons.
Development of the Mk 6 nuclear bomb
The Mk 6 nuclear bomb, a much more enhanced version of the bomb dropped on Nagasaki during World War II, underwent a number of modifications from 1951-55, and it remained in service until '62. Over this period, over 1,000 were made, each with varying nuclear yields.
In anticipation of potential conflict with the Soviet Union, the US Air Force incorporated the Mk 6 into training exercises. As a result, the 1950s saw multiple accidental discharges, known as " broken arrows " in military terminology.
A Mk 6 nuclear bomb is dropped on Mars Bluff, South Carolina
On March 11, 1958, a Boeing B-47 Stratojet took off from Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia, carrying a crew from the 375th Bombardment Squadron of the 308th Bombardment Wing. The strategic bomber was headed for the United Kingdom, with plans to continue to North Africa for Operation Snow Flurry , where pilots were scheduled to conduct simulated bomb drops. Although it was only a drill, the B-47's crew felt considerable pressure due to the timed nature of the exercise.
Prior to takeoff, the crew had awkwardly positioned their Mk 6 nuclear bomb in the bomb bay, having difficulty securing it. They used a sling and pounded the steel locking pin into place. However, when the plane took off, the mechanism disengaged as expected, but failed to re-engage once the aircraft was airborne.
Captain Bruce Kulka, the navigator and bombardier, was alerted to the problem. While inspecting the area, he inadvertently pulled the emergency release pin, causing the bomb to drop from 15,000 to 20,000 feet. Kulka narrowly avoided falling out of the open bomb bay by clutching onto something and pulling himself back to safety.
The Mk 6 bomb struck a playhouse built by Bill Gregg for his children, who were playing about 200 feet away at the time. The explosion obliterated the playhouse and created a 70-foot-wide crater. Gregg, his children, and his wife were injured, and seven nearby buildings were damaged.
Reaction to the Mars Bluff Incident
Surprisingly, none of the people affected by the blast sustained serious injuries because the Mk 6 bomb’s explosive nuclear core was housed in a separate section of the B-47 aircraft. The explosion involved only the TNT within the bomb. If a full-scale nuclear detonation had taken place, the resulting destruction would have been catastrophic.
Military authorities arrived at the scene shortly after the incident. The Gregg family, who lost everything in the explosion, sued the Air Force and were granted $54,000 in compensation. Despite their hardship, Bill Gregg remained upbeat, later telling the local newspaper, "I've always wanted a swimming pool, and now I’ve got a hole for one at no cost."
The near-disaster became known as the "Mars Buff Incident," and received local and international coverage. It also contributed to a change in the way the Air Force ran its training exercises going forward, especially since accidents like it were more common than the military would have liked to admit. Shortly after, the branch stopped carrying nuclear bombs during training missions.
This happened within 2.5 miles from my childhood home exactly 25 years before I was born. When I knew this as a kid, I'd like to imagine that the govt was trying to prevent my existence by trying to take out my family as kids themselves like some awful sci-fi/spy movie plot, similar to the Terminator movies.
SwampFox1776
2h ago
Fortunately, the bomb did not have a nuclear capsule installed, as the B-47 was on a training flight.
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