SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post - North Carolina was very lucky back in 1961

Stealhead · 09-20-13, 09:41 PM

Well North Carolina would have a much larger bay area.The information about the bomb nearly arming is not "new" though. I read about it in a book published in 2009 along with a photo section showing some of the documents.

It was not low voltage though the bombs had several safety switches they where designed to sense a purposeful drop from an accident like in the case of the B-52 where the bombs got tossed out as it fell apart in the sky.The trips where go/no go so on upon a no go they opened breaking the circuit.The one bomb "sensed" a drop and 5 seconds before it hit the ground the last safety trip worked as designed and opened preventing a calamity.What did fail actually was on the second bomb its retardation chute failed to open and it entered free fall it did not explode which clearly implies that the safety trips worked.The second bomb is the one that nearly exploded but for the one last safety trip its chute did deploy properly which means that it would have blown.the one that entered free fall would not have fully detonated.There where six safety trips designed to sense various parameters if any one of them tripped it broke the circuit.

Strange luck though just one safety trip away.

In those days though times where different I talked to a sailor once that witnessed the tests during Operation Crossroads in 1946.He said they stood on one side of the ship and faced away from the bomb (they where about 20 or so miles away)He said despite facing the other direction and having his eyes closed tightly hands over his eyes he could see for maybe 4 or 5 seconds the bones in his hands that must have been gamma rays from the bomb.That was test Able which was above the sea Baker was the one that was 100ft below the surface.After the tests they went right up to the ships only a few hours after many of those guys died from cancer later or suffered from cancer at one point.

Here is how a more modern B61 works we still have a version in our stocks every fixed wing combat aircraft in the US inventory can use this bomb if required.
declassified film form the 1970's.

09-20-13, 09:41 PM	#3
Stealhead Navy Seal Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Kentucky Posts: 5,421 Downloads: 85 Uploads: 0	Well North Carolina would have a much larger bay area.The information about the bomb nearly arming is not "new" though. I read about it in a book published in 2009 along with a photo section showing some of the documents. It was not low voltage though the bombs had several safety switches they where designed to sense a purposeful drop from an accident like in the case of the B-52 where the bombs got tossed out as it fell apart in the sky.The trips where go/no go so on upon a no go they opened breaking the circuit.The one bomb "sensed" a drop and 5 seconds before it hit the ground the last safety trip worked as designed and opened preventing a calamity.What did fail actually was on the second bomb its retardation chute failed to open and it entered free fall it did not explode which clearly implies that the safety trips worked.The second bomb is the one that nearly exploded but for the one last safety trip its chute did deploy properly which means that it would have blown.the one that entered free fall would not have fully detonated.There where six safety trips designed to sense various parameters if any one of them tripped it broke the circuit. Strange luck though just one safety trip away. In those days though times where different I talked to a sailor once that witnessed the tests during Operation Crossroads in 1946.He said they stood on one side of the ship and faced away from the bomb (they where about 20 or so miles away)He said despite facing the other direction and having his eyes closed tightly hands over his eyes he could see for maybe 4 or 5 seconds the bones in his hands that must have been gamma rays from the bomb.That was test Able which was above the sea Baker was the one that was 100ft below the surface.After the tests they went right up to the ships only a few hours after many of those guys died from cancer later or suffered from cancer at one point. Here is how a more modern B61 works we still have a version in our stocks every fixed wing combat aircraft in the US inventory can use this bomb if required. declassified film form the 1970's. Last edited by Stealhead; 09-20-13 at 10:12 PM.