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When And How: The U.S. Lost 8 Nuclear Weapons

mentalfloss.com — During the Cold War the United States military misplaced at least eight nuclear weapons permanently. These are the stories of what the Department of Defense calls “broken arrows”

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  • queenmoweeny, on 02/25/2008, -6/+5Good grief!
    • NoCt1, on 02/25/2008, -0/+2They wont blow up. but there is one of the coast of georgia by tybee island.. Dubbed the tybee bomb.
    • tugger, on 02/25/2008, -3/+1When the UK govt ran an inspection of US nuclear arms (within the UK), 22 nuclear warheads were unaccounted for. Not neccessarily lost, but the US couldn't actually place them. Since then, all US nuclear arms in British soil have been administered (stored, moved and decomissioned) by the Royal Navy.
      The true figure of 'misplaced' US nuclear devices (lost planes, ships, subs munitions etc) are somewhere between 200 and 250, although that figure will never ever be published in the US.

      Pakistan, on the other hand, has lost.... lets see... er, precisely none.

      The fact that the US was giving Russia advice on how to secure their nuclear arms was quite laughable.
      • DiggsOnlyJew, on 02/26/2008, -0/+3Actually, through my highly accurate estimates, I think it's somewhere between 300 and 500. Source: my ass.
  • TrevaLVF, on 02/25/2008, -3/+11Nukes accidentally dropped (except in that one case) at the bottom of the Sea? The first thoughts that came to my mind, besides treasure hunters, were continental shift and earth quakes.
    • noahhoward, on 02/25/2008, -3/+5Most were likely not armed weapons. #1 Even says a component was not onboard and the bomb did not go off even though the conventional charge fired.
      • louiedog, on 02/25/2008, -0/+28Which is all fine and good until dolphins figure out how to arm them.
        • NoCt1, on 02/25/2008, -0/+7when the dolphins get the chip to go inside it then they deserve to arm them.
        • noahhoward, on 02/25/2008, -1/+1I hear they're teaming up with the antarctic crab swarm to build the necessary refining equipment as we speak.
        • PxCxG, on 02/25/2008, -2/+4I, for one, welcome our new dolphin overlords.
        • EtherGnat, on 02/25/2008, -0/+2My sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads will neutralize them.
        • bswinson, on 02/25/2008, -0/+3So long and thanks for all the fish.
      • mightydavefish, on 02/25/2008, -4/+1Yeah, and we should believe EVERYTHING the USAF tells us.
        In case you didn't notice, they weren't exactly honest about any of the losses.
        What, aside from that peculiar rightard disease of believing anything an administration shill tells you, that leads you to believe they are telling the WHOLE truth now?
    • kaelyiesta, on 02/25/2008, -0/+1Anyone know how long these various bombs can live? Google doesnt want to tell me.
    • masamunecyrus, on 02/25/2008, -0/+3Nukes are very specifically designed not to blow up unless you purposely detonate them. I doubt an earthquake or getting crushed by the earth will do anything except for leak radioactive plutonium at the bottom of the ocean.
  • geekchic, on 02/25/2008, -1/+40Has anyone checked on eBay yet?
    • int10h, on 02/25/2008, -0/+5Yeah, I tried to buy a nuke but the guy scammed me :(
    • pastasauce, on 02/25/2008, -0/+6I know there was at least two on Craigslist.
    • nigh7dagger, on 02/25/2008, -5/+2Step 1: Find nukes
      Step 2: Post listings on eBay.
      Step 3: ...
      Step 4: Profit!
    • bswinson, on 02/25/2008, -0/+1Closest I saw was an ad for a snuke in a snitch.
  • deviouskoopa, on 02/25/2008, -12/+48 nuclear weapons misplaced? We should probably invade a few places that might potentially have found them. We'll start with Iraq...
    • Tyrghast, on 02/25/2008, -3/+1Jeff Jefftyjeff programmed the pentagon missile defense system so that they could do silly thing like wear them on their heads...
      • Tyrghast, on 02/26/2008, -0/+1those who are burying me are obviously uncultured swine with no knowledge of Eddie Izzard
  • rishubhav, on 02/25/2008, -0/+20Luckily for us kind Mr. Vladmir Putin operates a nuclear lost and found
  • Shogi, on 02/25/2008, -7/+2Gotta say #2&3 are the most suspicious.

    We might just lose Iraq if it weren't landlocked.
    • noahhoward, on 02/25/2008, -1/+5Not really, airplane crashes in bad weather in the middle of the med, wouldn't be too hard to lose it especially if you didn't get word until much later.
    • kowaleski, on 02/25/2008, -1/+0If you think those were suspicious then read up on the nuke the US lost just off the coast of Georgia by Tybee island. It's known as the Tybee bomb.
    • mercano, on 02/25/2008, -0/+3Unfortunately, Iraq isn't quite landlocked. They've got a small bit of coast on the Persian Gulf between Iran and Kuwait.
  • dblespresso, on 02/25/2008, -0/+11Let us not forget the intelligence that we gained in the recovery of lost Russian missiles and torpedos. Plus the tale includes Howard Hughes, for a wacky twist of history.

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

  • yodaj007, on 02/25/2008, -1/+12"'Lost' is such a harsh word. We prefer to use the term 'oops'."
    • kh99, on 02/25/2008, -1/+11They are experiencing a temporary excess of locational uncertainty.
  • doctechnical, on 02/25/2008, -2/+31FTA: "These revelations caused a political uproar in Japan, which prohibits the United States from bringing nuclear weapons into its territory."
    Talk about a policy that's a day late and a dollar short...
    • Gryffydd, on 02/25/2008, -1/+13That's not too far from the Gun Free Zones at schools or shopping malls. Because someone who is going to kill a bunch of people cares about the sign on the door banning weapons....
      • EarlOfLade, on 02/26/2008, -2/+1And you are an idiot!

        This has nothing to do with any fights, but all to do about policies for "no nukes" and to avoid more crap like what we got from the Soviets in 86 (Chernobyl for you uninformed idiots) and quite frankly, US nuclear safety and security is not much better than what the old Soviets had. So there is a perfectly reasonable idea behind such laws.

    • cookingboy, on 02/25/2008, -0/+5LOL, I think he was refering to Nagasaki and Hiroshima....
    • EarlOfLade, on 02/25/2008, -0/+2Several countries have had the same laws for a long time. Every Scandinavian country has the same. US planes or ships who are known to carry nuclear material are not allowed to enter the territorial waters of these countries.
  • yohnstoppable, on 02/25/2008, -0/+6Judging by the comments on that article, some of the readers wanted the Tybee Bomb to be mentioned...
  • Railz, on 02/25/2008, -6/+16Meh. Nothing to Russia's lost thousands count of bombs (lost or sold /shrug). At least America will fess up to her problems.
    • mightydavefish, on 02/25/2008, -9/+3Yeah, and it only takes a couple decades to be honest.
      Pay attention. America does NOT "fess up" unless forced to do so. Especially under President Traitor.
    • kaelyiesta, on 02/25/2008, -1/+7"15 years later the U.S. Navy finally admitted that the accident had taken place, claiming it happened 500 miles from land the in relative safety of the high seas. This turned out to be not true; it actually happened about 80 miles off Japan’s Ryuku island chain, as the aircraft carrier was sailing to Yokosuka, Japan after a bombing mission over Vietnam."

      I don't think the US government can really take the moral high ground on this issue. Half truths and admissions after others already found out don't really count.
      • Railz, on 02/25/2008, -0/+1It wasn't a moral high-ground. My stance is simply where is the article on the Russian weapons. It'd be for a much longer read at the very least.
    • Visnik, on 02/25/2008, -3/+2aaahahaha, you said "At least America will fess up to her problems." You sure your name is Raitz and not Blindly_Patriotic_And_Naive.
      • Railz, on 02/25/2008, -0/+2I live in America sure. I like the country, but I don't blindly follow. I also don't blindly hate.
  • noahhoward, on 02/25/2008, -4/+4Not sure weather to bury this as sensationalist or not. It's not like we have any control over plane crashes. They are likely not a risk at this point otherwise more would be done to locate and retrieve them. I would venture a guess if they gave up looking for them, they weren't armed.
  • banido, on 02/25/2008, -0/+2"The Sum of All Fears"
  • pj4533, on 02/25/2008, -0/+6Now then, Dmitri, you know how we've always talked about the possibility of something going wrong with the Bomb... The *Bomb*, Dmitri... The *hydrogen* bomb!
    • kaelyiesta, on 02/25/2008, -0/+3"Mein Führer! I can walk!"
    • alkajazz, on 02/25/2008, -0/+2You can't let him in here! He'll see everything! He'll see the big board!
    • oMeSSiaHo, on 02/25/2008, -0/+1Have you ever seen a communist drink water?
  • Maciula, on 02/25/2008, -0/+13No Travolta on the list? Oh, right, he was stopped by Christian Slater and that Park Ranger chic.
  • Slagged, on 02/25/2008, -0/+5These weapons are now 40 years old. Probably dangerous to approach but zero chance of any kind of nuclear detonation happening if one was "found".
  • CrankyHippo, on 02/25/2008, -0/+1So that movie with Travolta and Slater was a documentary

    http://www.impawards.com/1996/posters/broken_arrow ...
    • eviscero, on 02/25/2008, -1/+1One of the most horrible movies ever. Meet the Spartans was alot better.
      • Dubbsacc, on 02/25/2008, -0/+1They both have so much in common...
  • youreh, on 02/25/2008, -0/+5i'm sure it is much easier to buy/steal one from another country than going after nukes the US government was unsuccessful at finding and/or retrieving. so i'll sleep as well as i did last night, thanks.
  • SOS84, on 02/25/2008, -0/+10"STRAY #6: The Incident in Japan: This turned out to be not true; it actually happened about 80 miles off Japan’s Ryuku island chain"

    Isn't this the plot of a Godzilla movie?
  • jn1167, on 02/25/2008, -0/+1oops
  • elpresidente408, on 02/25/2008, -0/+5Don't forget about the Tybee bomb
    • kowaleski, on 02/25/2008, -0/+3How could you make a list like this without mentioning the Tybee bomb incident?
    • CIAVT, on 02/25/2008, -0/+3It should be noted that the Tybee Bomb is missing as well.
    • blakespot, on 02/25/2008, -0/+3Yes, as I recall there was an incident off the coast of Georgia - in the vicinity of Tybee Island. This lost warhead is often referred to as the "Tybee Bomb." How is this article to be taken seriously when there is no mention of the Tybee Bomb?
    • peaceninja, on 02/25/2008, -0/+3what was the name of the one right off the coast of georgia? i cant believe i didnt see it mentioned anywhere in the article.
      • m1zl3d, on 02/25/2008, -0/+2'What is Tybee?' was the answer we were looking for. Sorry, but you were close.
  • dafragsta, on 02/25/2008, -0/+3Could you please not fire your gun around the thermonuclear device?
    • noahhoward, on 02/25/2008, -0/+4"Be careful, Ryan, some things in here do not react too well to bullets."
  • GhostyBoy, on 02/25/2008, -1/+3Sometimes I forget where I parked. Or maybe put the cereal away in the fridge and the milk in the cupboard by accident. For this reason I have never sought to be responsible for nuclear weapons.

    But I guess it's nice to know that even the absent-minded are not deprived of the right to a nuclear arsenal. Ridiculous.
    • noahhoward, on 02/25/2008, -2/+1What the ***** does absentmindedness have to do with plane crashes? These aren't misplaced like your dumb ass in a parking lot these are lost a in fell from the sky and can't be found.
  • behlib99, on 02/25/2008, -1/+3Betcha the "Ferengis" have 'em...
    • TheSwashbuckler, on 02/25/2008, -0/+3The 34th rule of acquisition: War is good for business.
  • PeyoteWarr, on 02/25/2008, -1/+1Blogs...
  • Vonkhan, on 02/25/2008, -0/+2what, not a mention of the Tybee bomb?
  • shankydude, on 02/25/2008, -0/+1A B-52 carrying two 24-megaton nuclear bombs crashed while taking off from an airbase in Goldsboro, North Carolina......
    Did the ever US make a 24 megaton device?? I thought the max was a 16 megaton bomb.
  • Grindelwald, on 02/25/2008, -0/+1The worst case scenario is that they were "misplaced" on purpose for a day when it would greatly benefit some people. Imagine if ( god forbid) one of these was blown up in a US city and then it was blamed on some terrorist group. That is a pass for pulling the same stunt after 9/11. Fueling on fear to ***** the world up some more.
  • deepthinker, on 02/25/2008, -2/+1Only 1 bomb, that one in 1956, was lost under a republican administration. All the rest were lost under Democratic administrations. Quit your complaining!
  • alkajazz, on 02/25/2008, -0/+2I know a guy who can get you a soviet submarine, hit me up if your "Cool"
  • mattnyc99, on 02/25/2008, -1/+3Last year, U.S. bombers flew 6 nukes over middle America WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/militar ...
  • SirBrittanicus, on 02/25/2008, -0/+1It's good knowing things like these are scattered about the place...
  • iLens, on 02/25/2008, -1/+1actually they are Empty Quivers... not Broken Arrows. Broken Arrow sounds cooler; thanks John Travolta- keep dancin'

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_militar ...
  • 9bpm9, on 02/25/2008, -0/+2This article was a joke. Practically none of these bombs will ever be found without spending more money than it costs to actually make a nuclear bomb trying to find them.
    • iLens, on 02/25/2008, -1/+0they were hidden in Iraq... but somebody else (Isreal) found them to plant in Iran.
  • nickymouse, on 02/25/2008, -0/+2This was an era were the US was on constant state of readiness. A few years after the cold war started till the end, the US has always had nukes in the air. So yeah, one can expect to lose a few in crashes in the ocean.
  • o0joshua0o, on 02/25/2008, -0/+3Fear not, each one has a sticker that says "If found, please return to the Department of Defense."
  • Winboloer, on 02/25/2008, -1/+1Why didn't they mention the Tybee bomb?
  • 3leggedHorse, on 02/25/2008, -0/+1 ***** now where did i are put that nuke.
  • o0JoeCool0o, on 02/25/2008, -0/+1good movie.
  • neko6, on 02/25/2008, -1/+2I made you a nuke, but I losted it :(
  • R1ng00, on 02/25/2008, -1/+1Nows a good time to use one of them on an American City, blame it on Iran and start a new war!
  • elliotys, on 02/25/2008, -0/+1They should hire my girlfriend. She keeps track of all my stuff.
  • waluum, on 02/25/2008, -0/+1True about the dolphins. Here's what happened when the military tried recovering one of them...

    http://www.tranism.com/weblog/images/military_dolp ...
  • retinalfetish, on 02/25/2008, -1/+0>> "December 5, 1965. An A-4E Skyhawk attack aircraft carrying a 1-megaton thermonuclear weapon (hydrogen bomb) rolled off the deck of the U.S.S. Ticonderoga [...] it actually happened about 80 miles off Japan’s Ryuku island chain, as the aircraft carrier was sailing to Yokosuka, Japan after a bombing mission over Vietnam."

    Let us all read that twice and consider the implications. We had nukes loaded on to attack aircraft while engaging in a "police action" against a non-nuclear power.
    • orlandorays, on 02/26/2008, -0/+0AFTER a bombing mission over Vietnam, not before or during.
  • zippy757, on 02/25/2008, -0/+0I found two with my Whites Metal Detector on the beach. Mailed them back. Hope they got there.
  • orlandorays, on 02/26/2008, -0/+0That's six that are unaccounted for, not eight. The seventh was exploded (only the conventional explosives, without which any plutonium is inert), the eighth (and the Tybee bomb) are both buried in known location. And how many Russian bombs were lost? At one point they had a lot more warheads than we did, and a lot of the ***** the Soviet Union did is still secret.
  • solid12345, on 02/26/2008, -1/+1I live in a town called Broken Arrow. Har.
  • VBDon, on 02/26/2008, -0/+1So, that's what this thing is. It's so nice and shiney (stainless steel), I've been using it as a modern coffee table!!
  • NewAgeFreak, on 03/12/2008, -0/+1The US gave them to Israel "off the books".... because they didn't want other nations to know. So they are "lost"
  •  

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