The day we lost the H-bomb
Subtitle: cold war, hot nukes, and the worst nuclear weapons disaster in history
By: Barbara Moran.
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Published: 2009
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 321
ISBN-13: 9780891419044
Subjects: Aircraft accidents -- Spain -- Palomares -- History -- 20th century; Hydrogen bomb -- United States -- History -- 20th century; Airplanes, Military -- Accidents -- United States -- History -- 20th century; Search and rescue operations -- United States -- History -- 20th century; Nuclear accidents -- Spain -- Palomares Region -- History -- 20th century
Description: From the Publisher: In The Day We Lost the H-Bomb, science writer Barbara Moran marshals a wealth of new information and recently declassified material to give the definitive account of the Cold War's biggest nuclear weapons disaster. On January 17, 1966, a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber exploded over the sleepy Spanish farming village of Palomares during a routine airborne refueling. The explosion killed seven airmen and scattered the bomber's payload-four unarmed thermonuclear bombs-across miles of coastline. Three of the rogue H-bombs were recovered quickly. Tracking down the fourth required the largest search-and-salvage operation in U.S. military history. Moran traces the roots of the Palomares incident, giving a brief yet in-depth history of the Strategic Air Command and its eccentric, larger-than-life commander, General Curtis LeMay, whose massive deterrence strategy kept armed U.S. bombers aloft at all times. Back on the ground, Moran recounts the myriad social and environmental effects of an accident that spread radioactive debris over hundreds of acres of Spanish farmland, alarmed America's strategic allies, and damaged Spanish-American diplomatic relations. As the American military floundered in its attempt to keep the story secret, the events in Spain sometimes took on farcical overtones. Constant global media hype was fueled by the hit James Bond movie Thunderball, with its plot about an atomic weapon lost at sea. In addition, there were the unwanted attentions of a rusty-hulled Soviet surveillance ship and even awkward public relations stunts, complete with American diplomats in swim trunks.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.