In 1966, a US bomber carrying four hydrogen bombs collided with a tanker aircraft, causing an explosion that killed seven crew members. The bombs fell near Palomares, contaminating two square kilometers of Spanish soil with radioactive plutonium. The US government worked to clear the area of contamination and used a mathematical technique called Bayesian search to find the last bomb, which was recovered after 2 and a half months. The incident is now known as one of the major freak accidents involving nuclear weapons.
The Palomares hydrogen bomb incident is a military incident that occurred on January 17, 1966. A United States bomber aircraft collided with a tanker aircraft while refueling approximately 6 miles (10 km) over the Mediterranean Sea, just off the coast of Spain. This set the tanker’s fuel compartment on fire, causing it to explode, killing all four crew on board. The bomber also melted away, killing three crew members. Four crew survived and parachuted to safety. The explosion was so large that it was seen by the crew of another bomber more than a mile away.
The incident became known as the Palomares hydrogen bomb incident because the bomber was carrying four hydrogen bombs, all of which fell near the fishing village of Palomares. The conventional explosives in two of the bombs detonated, contaminating two square kilometers of Spanish soil with radioactive plutonium. Another bomb hit the ground without incident, and the last bomb fell into the Mediterranean Sea, resulting in a 2 1/2 month search. Obviously, the US military didn’t want the hydrogen bomb to fall into the wrong hands.
The Palomares hydrogen bomb incident obviously became an international fuss soon after it happened, and the US government has been working to clear the area of contaminated soil, digging up 1,750 tons of soil and disposing of it at the plant of Savannah River in South Carolina. To show local Spaniards and the international community that the area was free from contamination, Spanish Tourism Minister Manuel Fraga and US Ambassador Angier Biddle Duke swam on the beach off Palomares, in full view of the international media.
But ending the Palomares hydrogen bomb incident required finding the last hydrogen bomb, which was not so easy. Using initial data provided by Francisco Simó Orts, a local fisherman who saw the bomb enter the water, a mathematical technique called Bayesian search was used to search the bottom of the sea for the bomb. The famed ocean-going research vessel Alvin was used to search the area. After 2 and a half months of continuous searches, the bomb was recovered and brought to the surface. A photograph of military officers in front of the recovered bomb was later released, the first time a nuclear weapon has been seen in full public view.
The Palomares hydrogen bomb incident now goes down in history as one of the major freak accidents involving nuclear weapons. Another is the Vela incident, when a nuclear explosion of unknown origin near Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
