Talk:1966 Palomares incident

October 2006

Where in Spain is Palomares? Dan100 (Talk) 10:02, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

According to the stub, Andalucia. Rich257 12:04, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Garash 06:52, 18 January 2007 (UTC)[...]"killing all but three of her crew. Survivors were Major Larry Messinger (pilot), Captain Charles Wendorf (aircraft commander), Michael Rooney (copilot) and Captain Ivan Buchanan (radar navigator).[1]"

All but three dead does not equal four survivors!

So, why didn't you just change the article? Pjbflynn 04:14, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

The title sucks

This is a silly title. All capital letters. The colloquial "H-Bomb". How about something more like "1966 Palomares hydrogen bomb accident" or something along those lines. --24.147.86.187 00:58, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

More Pictures?

The empty casings of two of the bombs are on display at the National Atomic Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I have pictures I took on a visit there a few years back, and would be happy to add them if folks would like.Plumbob78 23:03, 6 August 2007 (UTC)

That would be fantastic. Thanks, --Asterion^talk 18:17, 7 August 2007 (UTC)

Done. I put the information on the museum display under it's own heading. I aslo found an article to use as a reference, so the info wouldn't be OR, though the only reputable ones I could find in my search talked about the "fourth bomb" being in a museum. The museum has the casings of both bombs that didn't detonate, however. Plumbob78 20:11, 30 September 2007 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Plumbob78 (talk • contribs)

Detonation?

It says that "two detonated on land near the small fishing village of Palomares,". I think two thermonuclear detonations would level a good deal of southern Spain. Should that be disintigrated? Kiwinanday (talk) 02:18, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

It says that the conventional explosives detonated, i.e. non-nuclear. I have edited to make this clearer. Pjbflynn (talk) 01:04, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

Gibraltar

Quoting: "Four days after the accident, the Spanish government stated that "the Palomares incident was evidence of the dangers created by [NATO's] use of the Gibraltar airstrip", Was this a serious comment? Surely if either a laden B-52 or KC-135 had tried to take off from Gib, it would have just nosed into the sea a few yards from the end of the (5000') runway?. 160.84.253.241 (talk) 10:34, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

Laden or not, a B-52 would not have operated from a 5,000' runway. Fighters and lighter bombers carried nukes as well, so the comment was probably related to their operation. Shawn D. (talk) 17:25, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

Recent Events

Today (April 10th 2008) Spanish press has more news on this subject. The CIEMAT, which is in charge of investigating the site for contaminated remains, has found two trenches dug out in 1.966 which contain contaminated earth. Since the U.S. government agreed in 2006 to pay for the cleaning expenses, they are expected to take care of the removal and transportaion expenses.

I've added this information to the "Recent Events" section, but since I'm useless when it comes to major editing, I've left out the source. Here it is:

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/sociedad/Espana/halla/zanjas/radiactivas/EE/UU/oculto/Palomares/elpepusoc/20080410elpepisoc_2/Tes —Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.128.59.30 (talk) 13:04, 10 April 2008 (UTC)

Thoughts on additions

This article seems to do a good job of covering the accident and the long-term consequences. What I'd say it probably still needs is some coverage of the immediate responses of the U.S. and Spanish governments to the incident (and possibly the Warsaw pact), as well as press coverage and the public response. A few of the details of the decontamination procedure might also be of interest. Thank you.—RJH (talk) 14:44, 10 April 2008 (UTC)

Why?

The article implys that the bombs were to be flown from North Carolina, across the atlantic, over europe, past russia, and "back home". So what exactly was the point of the mission? TheHYPO (talk) 01:49, 17 June 2008 (UTC)

Within the historical framework of the Cold War, the constant readiness of nuclear weapons was a form of deterrence. See also Mutual assured destruction. Pjbflynn (talk) 23:28, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

See Operation Chrome Dome Socrates2008 (Talk) 05:23, 23 November 2008 (UTC)

Article name

I suggest that this article be renamed in accordance with WikiProject Aviation's naming standards to "1966 Palomares B-52 crash". Socrates2008 (Talk) 05:23, 23 November 2008 (UTC)

Support. That would be in keeping with the other articles under Category:Military nuclear incidents.—RJH (talk) 18:01, 23 November 2008 (UTC)

swimming

in the article there is a questionmark about when the bobo's swam there for publicity reasons, i actually wonder if it is not fairer to point out that swimming there proofs exactly nothing. It doesn't even matter when after the accident, in fact it is more dangerous to swim there now then shortly after the accident probably (radioactive dust may have reached the sea). The breathing might still have been slightly dangerous tho. What would have proven something if they had taken their diet from palomares for even a month, the place is probably more radioactive then hiroshima, and the contaminants more dangerous, i suspect it were still better to turn it into a ghosttown.24.132.170.97 (talk) 05:07, 17 January 2009 (UTC)