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Selected Accidents Involving Nuclear Weapons 1950-1993

Greenpeace March 1996

The twenty-three accidents listed below involving U.S., Soviet, and Russian nuclear weaponsor nuclear-armed ships and submarines are some of the more serious nuclear accidents to

befall U.S. and Soviet nuclear forces.

As a result of accidents, some 5 nuclear warheads were lost into sea !"" Soviet and # U.S.

$owever, at least one Soviet warhead was recovered%. Also, seven nuclear reactors !5 Soviet

and & U.S.% from three Soviet and two U.S. nuclear-powered submarines have been lost at sea

due to accidents. Another ' nuclear reactors from nuclear-powered vessels have been

deliberately dumped at sea !( Soviet and U.S.%.

The U.S. )avy is *nown to have e+perienced at least ( nuclear weapons incidents, but the

details are not *nown. t assumed that other countries with nuclear weapons have had similar

nuclear weapons accidents or incidents, but official secrecy means that no information is

available.

The nuclear nations/ operational arsenals contain over &, nuclear weapons. Their

militaries still retain hundreds of nuclear-armed launchers and nuclear-capable military units.

The threat of a serious nuclear weapons accident has not disappeared with the end of the 0old

1ar. This is particularly the case where the arms race remains the most active2 at sea where

nuclear-armed and nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines still go on regular patrols at

levels that have not changed much if at all from the height of the 0old 1ar.

f history is a guide, nuclear weapons safety probably has been a problem for the non-

declared nuclear powers li*e ndia and srael and for other countries that have had or do have

incipient nuclear weapons programs. The e+perience of the U.S. and the Soviet Union

suggests not only are nuclear arsenals e+traordinarily e+pensive but they also come with

serious safety, health, and environmental costs.

. 11 A!I" 19502 Shortly after departing 3irtland Air 4orce ase !A4% in )ew 6e+ico, a

U.S. -&' bomber carrying a nuclear bomb crashed into a mountain. The bomb was

destroyed but its nuclear capsule with the fissile materials, which was also on board theaircraft, had not been inserted for safety reasons.

&. 10 MA!#$ 19562 A U.S. Air 4orce -"# bomber carrying two capsules of nuclear

materials for nuclear bombs, en route from 6ac7ill A4, 4lorida, to 8urope, failed to meet

its aerial refueling plane over the 6editerranean Sea. An e+tensive search failed to locate any

traces of the missing aircraft or crew.

. %& '(") 19562 7uring a routine deployment to 8ngland, a U.S. -"# bomber s*idded and

slid off a runway at 9a*enheath Royal Air 4orce !RA4% ase. The plane burst into flames and

crashed into a nuclear bomb storage igloo in which there were three 6ar* : nuclear bombs.

The bombs did not e+plode.

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". 1* A(G(S+ 19592 A helicopter engine e+ploded on board the U.S. aircraft carrier USS

1asp !0;S-(% which was operating &5 miles off )orfol*, ;irginia. As fires raged, the

ship/s crew prepared to flood the nuclear weapons magacean.

#. 5 .#M/! 19652 1hile the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga !0;A-"% steamed

en route from bombing operations off ;ietnam to the U.S. )avy base at @o*osu*a, ?apan, an

A-"8 attac* et loaded with a -" thermonuclear bomb rolled off the )umber & elevator, and

san* in :, feet of water. The aircraft carrier was positioned about # miles from theRyu*u slands and about & miles east of >*inawa. The bomb, aircraft and pilot were not

recovered.

(. 1& 'AN(A!) 19662 A collision occurred between a U.S. -5& nuclear bomber and a 30-

5 tan*er aircraft while over the village of =alomares in southern Spain. The -5& was on

an airborne alert operation and carried four -&( thermonuclear bombs. n the collision, the

30-5 e+ploded and caused the -5& to brea* up, scattering wrec*age over a sBuare

mile area. >ne of the four nuclear bombs landed relatively intact, while the high e+plosives in

two other bombs detonated upon impact with the ground scattering radioactive materials over

the village and surrounding area. The fourth bomb fell into the sea and was recovered intact

three months later after an e+tensive underwater search.

'. %1 'AN(A!) 196*2 A U.S. -5&C nuclear bomber crashed on the ice seven miles west of

Thule Air ase in northern Creenland. The aircraft was on a airborne alert flight and carried

four -&( thermonuclear bombs. Upon impact with the ice the bomber e+ploded and all four

nuclear bombs were destroyed, scattering radioactive materials over a large area.

. *-10 MA!#$ 196*2 The 3-&', a Soviet Colf class !=roect :&'6% diesel-powered

ballistic missile submarine armed with three nuclear SS-)-5 missiles, san* in the =acific,

about #5 miles northwest of the sland of >ahu, $awaii. The submarine possibly also

carried two nuclear torpedoes.

. %& MA) 196*2 The U.S. nuclear-powered submarine USS Scorpion !SS)-5('% san*

about " miles southwest of the AR torpedoes.

&. 1% A!I" 19&02 The 3-(, a Soviet )ovember class !=roect :A% nuclear-powered

attac* submarine, san* in the Atlantic >cean miles northwest of Spain. The submarine

was powered by two nuclear reactors and carried two nuclear torpedoes.

. %9 NM/! 19&02 A fire bro*e out in the stern of the U.S. )avy submarine tender

USS 0anopus !AS-"% while it was at the $oly 9och submarine base in Scotland. The tendercarried several nuclear-armed missiles and two U.S. nuclear-powered ballistic missile

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submarines were moored alongside. t too* four hours to bring the fire under control and

three men were *illed.

". %% NM/! 19&52 The U.S. aircraft carrier USS ?ohn 4. 3ennedy !0;-:#% collided

with the cruiser USS el*nap !0C-&:% in rough seas at night during air e+ercises in the

6editerranean Sea off Sicily. The collision caused maor fires and e+plosions, and thecommander of 0arrier Stri*ing 4orce for the Si+th 4leet issued a Dro*en ArrowD message --

at top secret communication about a nuclear weapons accident -- warning of a Dhigh

probability that nuclear weapons on the USS el*nap were involved in fire and e+plosions.D

8ventually, the nuclear weapons barely escaped destruction as the fire was contained ust feet

from the forward weapons maga

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&. %0 MA!#$ 19932 A Russian 7elta class !=roect ::#7R% nuclear-powered ballistic

missile submarine is struc* by the U.S. nuclear-powered attac* submarine USS Crayling

!SS)-:":% while operating in the arents Sea close to the 3ola =eninsula. The submarine

suffered slight damage and was able to return to base, but the collision could have sun* the

7elta submarine including its : SS-)-( nuclear armed missiles.