hey dave2 regarding bombs

found this article about an unexploded atom bomb near savanna georgia. been there since 1958. hate to hit that with a subsoiler!!!
poke here

Wouldn't be too fun..........
Might be a way to seal up an oil leak???????????

They have aired a documentary on History Channel about that, gus we'll never know until they find it.
Interesting story.

To understand this, you need to know how a nuclear weapon functions.

Fissionable nuclear material requires TREMENDOUS pressure to create a sustainable nuclear reaction. This pressure is created by high explosives. In its simplest form, take a ball of fissionable material, maybe 3" in diameter and embed it as a core in the center of a ball of high explosives maybe 2' in diameter. The HE is segmented, with each segment shaped so the force of the detonation is directed inward and applied to the fissionable material to create the pressure necessary to create a sustainable nuclear reaction. The segments of the HE are detonated by electric impulses supplied by a battery.

Now, up until about 1960, the fissionable material was not permently installed inside the high explosives. There was a hollow core of the appropriate size in the center of the HE with a hole leading to it. The fissionable material was encased in stainless steel and mounted on a rod. It wasn't until the weapon was armed for use that the fissionable material was inserted into the center of the NE by electro-mechanical means. Around 1960, the weapons were refined in design so that the fissionable material was enclosed permanently within the HE as part of the manufacturing process.

So, back to Savannah Bay. The weapon dropped into the bay would certainly have been an early type that would not have had the fissionable material inserted into the HE while the weapon was being transported. In 1958, for whatever reason a B47 was carrying a nuclear weapon, the fissionable material may not even have been on the airplane. As the weapon in this instance was obviously not being prepared for actual use, there wouldn't have been any reason for it to have been there. If the Air Force says there was no nuclear material involved, I'd believe it.

Apparently all that is lying at the bottom of Savannah Bay is a bunch of high explosives. Most likely the weapon itself has rusted to a point where the HE is waterlogged and inert, although I wouldn't bet on that.

How do I know all this? The last three years I was in the Marine Corps, I was on an assembly team building the darn things. It was a multi-service endeavor, and I can still hear an Air Force Captain giving an orientation presentation to us "newbies". "Gentlemen, without your knowledge for the last six months to a year you've been under intense investigation. Right now the FBI knows more about you than you know yourself. And, trust me, the KGB knows as much as the FBI". Comforting thought.

One misconception I'd like to clear up. It seems most people think if a nuclear weapon were dropped accidently, the impact with the ground would cause a full scale nuclear detonation. Most likely wouldn't happen. Impact with the ground would break up the high explosives so that even if it detonated, the pressure pattern would be destroyed and not create a nuclear reaction.

In actual use (only twice in history) a nuclear weapon never touches the ground. For maximun effectiveness, they're detonated electrically at a preset altitude above the ground. It sticks in my mind the ones dropped on Japan detonated at 1800 feet.

I could go on and on about safety precautions, etc., that have been in place since day one that have allowed the nuclear weapons industry to have a 100% perfect safety record, but this has gotten too long already. Maybe some other time.

Goose is right. I did maintenance on Minuteman II and III ICBM's for four years when I was in the Air Force. In a nutshell I can positively attest to the fact that a nuclear weapon will not yield a nuclear explosion unless it is supposed to. It is basically impossible for it to accidently happen. Everything is so redundantly redundant it would boggle your mind if you knew. I'm surprised the durn things even work. Don't believe anything you've seen in the movies. They're usually so stupid I can't even watch.

Hopefully, you are a member of the AAFM, and know about this website.

. missileforums. com /forums/

I was watching something about the bombs dropped on Japan and it said that only a small percentage of what could have exploded did, but it was still enough to be very effective. I forget the technical terms. Most bombs are designed to detonate above the ground. Hitting the ground is almost like a cushioning effect. The 12,000 lb. tall boys dropped on German U-boat pens had fins on them so they fell supersonically. They penetrated the thick concrete with such force that the Germans thought they were rocket powered. Probably because of the sonic boom. Then there was the even bigger grand slam bombs that were 20,000lbs. Dave

We had a silo on my uncles farm . Grandpa worked as laborer on them and dad worked for hallet contstruction . They hauled most of the concrete etc for them around there. I remember doing field work around the silo . Big fenced off area , Signs "Authorized use of deadly force " Seen few weeds blow into fence , didn't take long for a chopper from Grand Forks to get there to check things out . They have since scrapped out the silo . Heard they paid an outrageous amount to the scappers . Real part of history there .

That thing is probably all ready in some redneck shrimpers back yard. You would be surprised at the things they pull up in their nets. That is less than 50 miles from my house.
Ron

Where was your base located. I was in the AFSWAP program till Feb 1960 i was stationed at Killeen Base the largest and only site maintained by the Army.The MK-15 mentioned in the article would not be a danger if it even was a real bomb and not a dummy for training. By the way we dismanteled the MK-6 Fat Boys while i was there.

My home base was the Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point, NC, but I spent a lot of time at Sandia Base, (Army) by Albuquerque, NM and NAS, Norfolk, VA (Navy). And a limited amount of time at Kirkland Air Force Base, also by Albuquerque.

(That's where I learned to spell "Albuquerque".

When the MK-28 came out at the training session we were told DO NOT DROP it could blow. Were you at a stockpile site where the weapons were worked or at a missile site.

Sandia Base thats where all military personell went for the training. You forgot about the IFI device that loaded the nuc matl after it left the plane. I coulda had the device when we parted out the MK-6 Fat Boy. Did you ever see the MK-36 what a monster.