Lecture Notes: The U.S. Military Is Missing Six Nuclear Weapons

Introduction

• The concept of "Broken Arrow" refers to the loss of a nuclear weapon.
• Between 1950-1980, there have been 32 documented nuclear weapon accidents.
• Six U.S. nuclear weapons have been lost and never recovered.

Notable Incidents

February 13, 1950

• Location: Pacific Ocean
• Event: A B-36 bomber developed engine trouble and dropped a 30-kiloton Mark 4 bomb to avoid crashing.
• Details: Bomb didn't have a plutonium core but contained uranium.

March 10, 1956

• Location: Likely the Mediterranean Sea
• Event: A B-47 bomber went missing after first refueling but before the second.
• Details: Aircraft carried the 3,400-kilogram Mark 15 nuclear bomb.

February 5, 1958

• Location: Near Savannah, Georgia
• Event: B-47 bomber collided during a mission and dropped a Mk 15 bomb over Wassaw Sound.

January 24, 1961

• Location: Near Goldsboro, North Carolina
• Event: B-52 bomber crash released two 24-megaton nuclear bombs.
• Details: One uranium core is buried; U.S. Army Corps restricted digging.

December 5, 1965

• Location: Pacific Ocean
• Event: A-4E Skyhawk rolled off USS Ticonderoga, along with a one-megaton thermonuclear weapon.
• Details: Accident revealed 15 years later; affected U.S.-Japan agreements.

Spring 1968

• Location: Southwest of the Azores Islands
• Event: USS Scorpion submarine sank with two nuclear-tipped weapons.
• Details: Submarine loss included 99 crew members.

Conclusion

• No nuclear weapons have been lost in the past 50 years, as far as known.

About the Author

• Peter Suciu, a Michigan-based writer contributing to various publications, specializes in military topics.