Comments on: "My Favorite Museum Exhibit": Two nuclear bombs, slightly dented http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Sat, 25 May 2013 13:25:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Maggie Koerth-Baker http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1332467 Maggie Koerth-Baker Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:23:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1332467 Copy editors. It's about the end of copy editors. I miss them, too.  Copy editors. It’s about the end of copy editors. I miss them, too. 

]]> By: Rocky http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1331894 Rocky Sun, 29 Jan 2012 07:59:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1331894 They did not have drones or effective seal teams to take people out, so they dropped nuclear bombs designed to be dirty to cover up operation.   The bodies were shipped with 1400 tons of soil.   Do you really think they would accidently drop four nukes on Spain?   What you can see is true, but what you can not see is more true! They did not have drones or effective seal teams to take people out, so they dropped nuclear bombs designed to be dirty to cover up operation.   The bodies were shipped with 1400 tons of soil.   Do you really think they would accidently drop four nukes on Spain?   What you can see is true, but what you can not see is more true!

]]> By: Vanwall http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1331683 Vanwall Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:21:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1331683 Very curious film based on this incident. Candice Bergen in an early role rocks out on the beach, Nero-style: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Fish_Came_Out Very curious film based on this incident. Candice Bergen in an early role rocks out on the beach, Nero-style:

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

]]> By: Chris http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1331667 Chris Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:54:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1331667 "and shipping it to the United States". Am I the only one concerned that 2 out of every 3 articles I read have glaring grammatical errors? I think its a sign of the end of... well something. “and shipping it to the United States”. Am I the only one concerned that 2 out of every 3 articles I read have glaring grammatical errors? I think its a sign of the end of… well something.

]]> By: Richard Halavais http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1331659 Richard Halavais Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:44:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1331659 I worked on the CURV which is the Navy Cable Controlled deep submergence Recovery Vehicle that ultimately recovered the bomb that fell into the med. It was a long, hard effort that finally paid off in success. The bomb was initially on an underwater slope at 2,000 feet. Alvin attempted a retrieval but only knocked the bomb another 750 feet deeper which then exceeded our operational depth and forced us to drill holes to flood structural components, like the frame, which could have possibly imploded. We made the recovery by intentionally tangling the bomb's parachute shrouds in CURV's body and propulsion system then hosting the vehicle aboard by hand.  Frogmen hit the water as soon as the bomb as soon as it became visible.  It was a big deal at the time. I worked on the CURV which is the Navy Cable Controlled deep submergence Recovery Vehicle that ultimately recovered the bomb that fell into the med. It was a long, hard effort that finally paid off in success. The bomb was initially on an underwater slope at 2,000 feet. Alvin attempted a retrieval but only knocked the bomb another 750 feet deeper which then exceeded our operational depth and forced us to drill holes to flood structural components, like the frame, which could have possibly imploded. We made the recovery by intentionally tangling the bomb’s parachute shrouds in CURV’s body and propulsion system then hosting the vehicle aboard by hand.  Frogmen hit the water as soon as the bomb as soon as it became visible.  It was a big deal at the time.

]]> By: igpajo http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1331394 igpajo Sat, 28 Jan 2012 07:53:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1331394 Actually there were 5, but they never found the fifth one.  But it was found years and years later by a farmer and his son who dug it up and sold it to some guy who gave it to a crazy Russian extremist who was trying to start a war with the US and they took out all the nuclear bits and snuck it into a soda machine and blew up the SuperBowl... Oh, wait...that was a Tom Clancy book.  Or was it a movie? Actually there were 5, but they never found the fifth one.  But it was found years and years later by a farmer and his son who dug it up and sold it to some guy who gave it to a crazy Russian extremist who was trying to start a war with the US and they took out all the nuclear bits and snuck it into a soda machine and blew up the SuperBowl…
Oh, wait…that was a Tom Clancy book.  Or was it a movie?

]]> By: Culturedropout http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1331262 Culturedropout Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:35:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1331262 Yeah- the resale value really takes a nosedive.  You can always slap on some Bondo, but it's just never quite the same.  Any savvy 3rd-world dictator is going to spot the repair from 20 feet away; it makes it hard to negotiate a decent price. Yeah- the resale value really takes a nosedive.  You can always slap on some Bondo, but it’s just never quite the same.  Any savvy 3rd-world dictator is going to spot the repair from 20 feet away; it makes it hard to negotiate a decent price.

]]> By: Andy C http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1331239 Andy C Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:24:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1331239 Anyone else seen that Cliff Richard/Shadows film Finders Keepers (strap line: The beat is the wildest! The blast is the craziest! ... and the fun is where you find it!) based on the Palomares incident? Cliff and the lads turn up to play a gig in Spain only to find someone has accidentally dropped an A bomb and the area is crawling with spooks and spies trying to find it, with hilarious consequences. Details are hazy as I saw it when I was eleven, I do remember a song about paella. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg-HTzEbZ0U&feature=related Anyone else seen that Cliff Richard/Shadows film Finders Keepers (strap line: The beat is the wildest! The blast is the craziest! … and the fun is where you find it!) based on the Palomares incident?
Cliff and the lads turn up to play a gig in Spain only to find someone has accidentally dropped an A bomb and the area is crawling with spooks and spies trying to find it, with hilarious consequences.
Details are hazy as I saw it when I was eleven, I do remember a song about paella.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg-HTzEbZ0U&feature=related

]]> By: random http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1331235 random Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:21:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1331235 Just to keep things balanced, the Air Force also nuked Albuquerque.    In 57 a B36 Peacemaker salvoed a 10Meg Hydrogen bomb through the bombay doors while on approach to Kirtland AFB.  Fortunately it wasn't armed but it did disperse a significant amount of nasty all over the scrub East of Albuquerque. http://www.hkhinc.com/newmexico/albuquerque/doomsday/ Just to keep things balanced, the Air Force also nuked Albuquerque.    In 57 a B36 Peacemaker salvoed a 10Meg Hydrogen bomb through the bombay doors while on approach to Kirtland AFB.  Fortunately it wasn’t armed but it did disperse a significant amount of nasty all over the scrub East of Albuquerque.

http://www.hkhinc.com/newmexico/albuquerque/doomsday/

]]> By: DrDave http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1331207 DrDave Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:00:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1331207 If the bombs had been armed, and set for air-burst detonation, they would have been triggered before impact at a certain altitude. The parachute is largely to give the bomber time to clear the blast zone on a medium- or low-level delivery. (But, yes, the bomber crew would think of it as a bummer of a failure mode, at least briefly.) If the bombs had been armed, and set for air-burst detonation, they would have been triggered before impact at a certain altitude. The parachute is largely to give the bomber time to clear the blast zone on a medium- or low-level delivery. (But, yes, the bomber crew would think of it as a bummer of a failure mode, at least briefly.)

]]> By: niktemadur http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330991 niktemadur Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:23:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330991 This is the textbook definition, with pictures, of Broken Arrow, and never mind disco dancin' scientologists. This is the textbook definition, with pictures, of Broken Arrow, and never mind disco dancin’ scientologists.

]]> By: alrom http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330961 alrom Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:53:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330961 Here in Spain everybody knows the story of the Palomares nuclear bombs!  Palomares is actually still contaminated. The US government struck a deal a year ago with the Spanish government in order to clean the area... Here in Spain everybody knows the story of the Palomares nuclear bombs! 

Palomares is actually still contaminated. The US government struck a deal a year ago with the Spanish government in order to clean the area…

]]> By: Michael Smith http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330865 Michael Smith Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:10:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330865 It takes about half a second for a fission bomb to fire properly, so the bombs which crashed without their parachutes would presumably never have fired properly. Thats a bummer of a failure mode. It takes about half a second for a fission bomb to fire properly, so the bombs which crashed without their parachutes would presumably never have fired properly. Thats a bummer of a failure mode.

]]> By: DrDave http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330817 DrDave Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:46:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330817 I got to see this exhibit on a trip to NM this past December. The casing on the left is the one that fell into the sea, and only has minor denting. The one on the right had a parachute deploy before it hit the ground. The parachutes failed on the two that exploded on impact. I got to see this exhibit on a trip to NM this past December. The casing on the left is the one that fell into the sea, and only has minor denting. The one on the right had a parachute deploy before it hit the ground. The parachutes failed on the two that exploded on impact.

]]> By: obeyken http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330783 obeyken Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:30:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330783 It's always such a bummer when one's nice shiny nukes get that first little dent. It’s always such a bummer when one’s nice shiny nukes get that first little dent.

]]> By: Slant http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330777 Slant Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:24:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330777 Yep, you pretty much summed up the story behind this article.  Of course, this does a good job of it too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlSQAZEp3PA Yep, you pretty much summed up the story behind this article.  Of course, this does a good job of it too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlSQAZEp3PA

]]> By: KeithIrwin http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330717 KeithIrwin Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:23:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330717 We had a number of these sort of incidents.  There was one in Faro, NC, for example.  That one is described here: http://www.ibiblio.org/bomb/ They also dropped one into the harbor in Savannah, GA which has never been recovered. We had a number of these sort of incidents.  There was one in Faro, NC, for example.  That one is described here: http://www.ibiblio.org/bomb/ They also dropped one into the harbor in Savannah, GA which has never been recovered.

]]> By: aynrandspenismighty http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330692 aynrandspenismighty Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:05:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330692 I went there years ago during a cross country road trip with my wife. It was awesome. We also were able to pick up Fat Man an Little Boy earings(which my wife made into charms) and shot glasses. I went there years ago during a cross country road trip with my wife. It was awesome. We also were able to pick up Fat Man an Little Boy earings(which my wife made into charms) and shot glasses.

]]> By: putty http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330612 putty Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:05:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330612 yo te quiero infinito, yo te quiero oh mi corazón yo te quiero
infinito,
yo te quiero
oh mi corazón

]]> By: BookGuy http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330606 BookGuy Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:57:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330606 This seems perfect for an alternate history novel in which we accidentally nuked Spain.  T.C. Boyle, perhaps? This seems perfect for an alternate history novel in which we accidentally nuked Spain.  T.C. Boyle, perhaps?

]]> By: nixiebunny http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330596 nixiebunny Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:38:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330596 Go to the Albuquerque museum to see lots and lots of atomic bombs - you might recognize it. The spookiest thing I've touched was when I visited the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum's back lot while they were restoring the Enola Gay. I got to stick my head inside it. Go to the Albuquerque museum to see lots and lots of atomic bombs – you might recognize it.

The spookiest thing I’ve touched was when I visited the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum’s back lot while they were restoring the Enola Gay. I got to stick my head inside it.

]]> By: alfanovember http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330577 alfanovember Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:19:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330577 I recall seeing & touching a decomissioned nuclear bomb at the Strategic Air Command museum in Nebraska,  roughly 20 years ago.   There's no mention of such an exhibit on the current website..     In my memory, it was a blocky cylinder about 2 meters diameter, and maybe 4 meters long.  Not entirely unlike the B53 that we've finally retired.     Does anyone else recall such a thing? Certainly one of the spookier things I've ever touched. I recall seeing & touching a decomissioned nuclear bomb at the Strategic Air Command museum in Nebraska,  roughly 20 years ago.   There’s no mention of such an exhibit on the current website..     In my memory, it was a blocky cylinder about 2 meters diameter, and maybe 4 meters long.  Not entirely unlike the B53 that we’ve finally retired.    

Does anyone else recall such a thing? Certainly one of the spookier things I’ve ever touched.

]]> By: Chuck http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330565 Chuck Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:06:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330565 the United States Air Force "accidentally" dropped them on Spain. the United States Air Force “accidentally” dropped them on Spain.

]]> By: Saltine http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330515 Saltine Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:12:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330515 But, wait, there's more! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_nuclear_accidents But, wait, there’s more! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_nuclear_accidents

]]> By: Thomas Needham http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330507 Thomas Needham Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:05:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330507 The book I read as a lad called "The Bombs of Palomares" by  Tad Szulc.  Discussed the search and methods that they developed to find the bombs.  They used some of the same techniques (Wagering on a location) to find downed submarines like Scorpion and Thresher in deep water. The book I read as a lad called “The Bombs of Palomares” by  Tad Szulc.  Discussed the search and methods that they developed to find the bombs.  They used some of the same techniques (Wagering on a location) to find downed submarines like Scorpion and Thresher in deep water.

]]> By: bklynchris http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330503 bklynchris Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:02:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330503 Dear....sweet....Jesus.....that is bone chiling. Dear….sweet….Jesus…..that is bone chiling.

]]> By: nixiebunny http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330490 nixiebunny Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:51:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330490 I dragged my family to every nuclear exhibit in New Mexico a few years ago. This was one highlight. I had heard about the "incident" in Spain, but had no idea that I could see the actual bomb casings that fell out of the plane. If you go to White Sands Missile Range, you can climb over dozens of different US missiles from the old days. They're all set up in a big playground. At least that's how we saw it. I dragged my family to every nuclear exhibit in New Mexico a few years ago. This was one highlight. I had heard about the “incident” in Spain, but had no idea that I could see the actual bomb casings that fell out of the plane.

If you go to White Sands Missile Range, you can climb over dozens of different US missiles from the old days. They’re all set up in a big playground. At least that’s how we saw it.

]]> By: Adam Gorley http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330486 Adam Gorley Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:45:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330486 Wow. Wow.

]]> By: Paul232 http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330475 Paul232 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:37:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330475 In "Back from the Front" the 3 stooges were merchant marines when a torpedo hit below deck and pierced the hull. They looked down at it and decided it was a whale, and that they should kill it, so starting hitting it on the "head" with hammers. The whole ship exploded, but fortunately they werent injured at all- ended up on a raft. In “Back from the Front” the 3 stooges were merchant marines when a torpedo hit below deck and pierced the hull. They looked down at it and decided it was a whale, and that they should kill it, so starting hitting it on the “head” with hammers. The whole ship exploded, but fortunately they werent injured at all- ended up on a raft.

]]> By: ComradeQuestions http://boingboing.net/2012/01/27/my-favorite-museum-exhibit-3.html#comment-1330476 ComradeQuestions Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:37:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=140993#comment-1330476 They probably need to put a sign next to this display... They probably need to put a sign next to this display…

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