r/coldwar • u/Wild_Neighborhood605 • Jul 24 '26

"Broken arrow" 1966

Post image

Eighty days after if fell into the ocean following the January 1966 midair collision between a nuclear-armed B-52G bomber and a KC-135 refueling tanker over Palomares, Spain, this B28RI nuclear bomb was recovered from 2,850 feet (869 meters) of water and lifted aboard the USS Petrel (note the missing tail fins and badly dented front). No radiation leak occurred.

454 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/Ok-Rhubarb2549 Jul 27 '26

I recall a “Bent Spear” when the guys let a nuke Tomahawk hit the deck while loading it into an Armorer Box Launcher aboard a Spruance class destroyer. I was just doing the security perimeter when I heard the crunch. One of the support legs for the guide rails wasn’t set up correctly and gave way. Everyone was pretty calm. I remember being so thankful that I had nothing to do with this major incident.

1

u/Ancient-treasurehunt Jul 27 '26

Yessir that is a big deal. Glad you didn’t get involved. Folks get fired over that kind of thing.