Eureka, North Carolina: Marker: Atom Bombs Dropped Here
A B-52 crashed in a nearby cotton field on January 24, 1961. Its two live atom bombs landed separately. Had they exploded, the estimated death zone was 17 miles. The marker is titled: "Nuclear Mishap."
- Address:
- W. Main St., Eureka, NC
- Directions:
- Downtown. At the corner of W. Main St. and N. Church St.
- Admission:
- Free
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A grove of trees in the cotton field stand over the atom bomb accident site in Faro, NC.
[Jody High, 08/04/2016]
I knew that we'd nearly nuked ourselves in 1958 in South Carolina, but I had no idea that something similar had almost happened here in my home state of North Carolina. According to a historic marker in the town of Eureka, a B-52 carrying two hydrogen bombs crashed nearby in 1961. Three crewman died in the accident, while five others successfully ejected or bailed out. Both of the bombs left the aircraft as it started to break up. One split into pieces on impact, and much of it, including the thermonuclear stage, remains buried 180 feet down in a swamp. The other was recovered, and numerous sources say that that bomb came very close to detonating.
The marker notes, "Widespread disaster averted."
[Dean Jeffrey, 01/26/2015]Nearby Offbeat Places
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