Declassified U.S. Nuclear Test Film #45

0800045 - Naval Atomic Weapons Vulnerability Program - Late 1950's - 21:15 - Black&White and Color - The Navy realized that any implosion-type nuclear weapon would be extremely hazardous to personnel in the area should the conventional high explosives (HE) contained in the weapon detonate prematurely. A particular threat to firemen and rescue personnel stationed on a carrier was the possibility that a plane carrying an implosion weapon could crash and burn on the deck, setting off the HE and dispersing radioactive materials. Other threats were from explosions on ships carrying rockets or missiles.

Three tests were carried out in this program at the fire test area at the Navys China Lake facility in California. The first fire test involved a Mark 7 dummy nuclear warhead with live HE, where the fire caused the HE to detonate. The second test involved a Mark 7 dummy warhead and a Boar solid rocket motor, which were both destroyed by the fire. In the third test, a Mark 34 warhead in a sealed dummy pit was placed in the fire, but the HE did not detonate.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Nukes
• Nuclear
• weapons
• WMD
• radiation
• radioactive
• testing
• warhead
• downwinders
• atomic
• cancer

[EIGHTYEIGHT3]

Fitting the fins on by hand! Thats old school. Todays vertical launch systems are much more efficient.

[luke88martin]

this is pretty informative, but notice how most of these guys from the early to late 50's sound the same? lulz

[wardenphil]

The Mk 41 VLS is so much easier to use - it's loaded at the dock and is ready to go then and there.

[kingcopy]

its amazing! and this was in the 60s