Beginning in the late 1940s and spanning until the end of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union were locked in an unrelenting arms race. Throughout this period, both nations regularly tested weapons, leading to numerous incidents. One particularly perilous event occurred in 1958 in Mars Bluff, South Carolina.
The United States continued developing bombs after World War II
The Second World War was a brutal conflict. The US put an end to it during the summer of 1945 by dropping the atomic bombs Little Boy and Fat Man on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The country, however, wasn’t finished developing new and more powerful nuclear weapons.
Development of the Mk 6 nuclear bomb
The Mk 6 nuclear bomb, an evolved version from the one used in Nagasaki during World War II, underwent several iterations between 1951 and 1955, remaining operational until 1962. During this period, over 1,000 units were manufactured, each varying in nuclear yield.
As part of preparations for potential conflict with the Soviet Union, the US Air Force incorporated the Mk 6 nuclear bomb into its training drills. Consequently, in the 1950s, there were several accidental deployments termed “broken arrows” by the US military.
A Mk 6 nuclear bomb is dropped on Mars Bluff, South Carolina
On March 11, 1958, a Boeing B-47 Stratojet embarked from Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, carrying an aircrew from the 375th Bombardment Squadron, 308th Bombardment Wing. The strategic bomber was en route to the United Kingdom, before flying from there to North Africa to participate in Operation Snow Flurry, where pilots would practice mock bomb drops. While just a training exercise, the B-47’s crew felt pressured, as the exercise was timed.
Before they departed, the men had haphazardly placed their Mk 6 nuclear bomb in the bomb bay, as they’d struggled to secure it. They resorted to placing the explosive in a sling and hammering the steel locking pin until it locked. When they took off from the airfield, the mechanism disengaged, as per protocol, but failed to re-engage once the B-47 was airborne.
Navigator and bombardier Capt. Bruce Kulka was informed about the issue. While examining the area, he accidentally pulled the emergency release pin, causing the bomb to fall 15,000-20,000 feet to the ground. Kulka was in danger of falling out of the open bomb bay, but managed to save himself by grabbing onto something and pulling himself to safety.
The Mk 6 nuclear bomb crashed into a playhouse that a man named Bill Gregg had built for his children. At the time, his kids were playing approximately 200 feet away. The playhouse was destroyed in the blast, and the bomb left a 70-foot-wide crater. Gregg, his children, and his wife all sustained injuries, and seven nearby buildings were damaged.
Reaction to the Mars Bluff Incident
Surprisingly, none of the individuals affected by the blast suffered serious injuries, as the explosive nuclear core of the Mk 6 bomb was stored in a separate part of the B-47 aircraft. What detonated was the TNT contained within the bomb. Had a full-scale nuclear detonation occurred, the resulting devastation would have been catastrophic.
Military authorities arrived at the scene shortly after the incident. The Gregg family, who lost everything in the explosion, filed a lawsuit against the Air Force and were granted $54,000 in compensation. Despite their ordeal, Bill Gregg remained positive, later telling the local newspaper, “I’ve always wanted a swimming pool, and now I’ve got a hole for one at no cost.”
Legacy of the Mars Bluff Incident
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The near-disaster became known as the “Mars Buff Incident,” and received local and international coverage. It also contributed to a change in the way the Air Force ran its training exercises going forward, especially since accidents like it were more common than the military would have liked to admit. Shortly after, the branch stopped carrying nuclear bombs during training missions.
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