Военные аварии с ядерными материалами

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This article lists notable military accidents involving nuclear material. Civilian accidents are listed at List of civilian nuclear accidents. For a general discussion of both civilian and military accidents, see nuclear and radiation accidents. For other lists, see Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents.

Date Location Type Description June 23, 1942 Leipzig, Nazi Germany Steam explosion and reactor fire Leipzig L IV experiment accident: Shortly after the Leipzig L IV atomic pile – worked on by Werner Heisenberg and Robert Doepel – demonstrated Germany's first signs of neutron propagation, the device was checked for a possible heavy water leak. During the inspection, air leaked in, igniting the uranium powder inside. The burning uranium boiled the water jacket, generating enough steam pressure to blow the reactor apart. Burning uranium powder scattered throughout the lab causing a larger fire at the facility. August 21, 1945 Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States Accidental criticality Harry Daghlian dropped a tungsten carbide brick onto a plutonium core, inadvertently creating a critical mass at the Los Alamos Omega site. He quickly removed the brick, but was fatally irradiated, and died on September 15. May 21, 1946 Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States Accidental criticality

While demonstrating his technique to visiting scientists at Los Alamos, Canadian physicist Louis Slotin manually assembled a critical mass of plutonium. A momentary slip of a screwdriver caused a prompt critical reaction. Slotin died on May 30 from massive radiation poisoning, with an estimated dose of 1,000 rads (rad), or 10 grays (Gy). Seven observers, who received doses as high as 166 rads, survived, yet three died within a few decades from conditions believed to be radiation related. Slotin worked with the same bomb core as Daghlian which became known as the "demon core." It was later melted down and combined with existing weapons grade material.

+DateLocationTypeDescriptionFebruary 13, 1950British Columbia Loss of nuclear bomb/non nuclear detonation of nuclear bombA simulated nuclear bomb containing TNT and uranium, but without the fissile core needed to create a nuclear explosion, was proactively dumped in the Pacific Ocean after a Convair B 36 bomber's engines caught fire during a test of its ability to carry nuclear payloads. The crew reported releasing the weapon out of concern for the amount of TNT inside, alone, before they bailed out of the aircraft. The bomber eventually crashed at an unknown location in Canada. Four years later the wreckage was found and searched, but no bomb was found. The weapon was briefly thought to have been located by a civilian diver in 2016 near Pitt Island but this was subsequently found not to be the case. A USAF B 36 bomber, AF Ser. No. 44 92075, was flying a simulated combat mission from Eielson Air Force Base, near Fairbanks, Alaska, to Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, Texas, carrying one weapon containing a dummy warhead. The warhead contained conventional explosives and natural uranium but lacked the fissile core of an actual weapon. After six hours of flight, the bomber experienced mechanical problems and was forced to shut down three of its six engines at an altitude of 12000 feet (3658 m). Fearing that severe weather and icing would jeopardize a safe emergency landing, the weapon was jettisoned over the Pacific Ocean from a height of 8000 feet (2438 m). The weapon's high explosives detonated upon impact with a bright flash visible. All of the sixteen crew members and one passenger were able to parachute from the plane and twelve were subsequently rescued from Princess Royal Island. The accident was categorized as a Broken Arrow, that is an accident involving a nuclear weapon but which does not present a risk of war. April 11, 1950 Albuquerque, New Mexico, USLoss and recovery of nuclear materialsThree minutes after departure from Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque a USAF Boeing B 29 Superfortress carrying a nuclear weapon (without a fissile core), four spare detonators, and a crew of thirteen crashed into a mountain near Manzano Base. The crash resulted in a fire that The New York Times reported as being visible from 15 mile (24 km). The bomb's casing was demolished and its high explosives ignited upon contact with the plane's burning fuel. However, according to the Department of Defense, the four spare detonators and all nuclear components were recovered. All thirteen crew members died. August 5, 1950Fairfield Suisun AFB, California, USNon nuclear detonation of an atomic bombA USAF B 29 bomber AF Ser. No. 44 87651 with a Mark 4 nuclear bomb (without a fissile core) on board, flying to Guam experienced malfunctions with two propellers and with landing gear retraction during take off and crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Fairfield Suisun AFB. In the resulting fire, the bomb's high explosive material exploded, killing nineteen people from the crew and rescue personnel. Brigadier General Robert F. Travis, command pilot of the bomber, was among the dead. November 10, 1950Rivière du Loup, Québec, CanadaNon nuclear detonation of an atomic bombReturning one of several U. S. Mark 4 nuclear bombs secretly deployed in Canada, a USAF B 50 had engine trouble and jettisoned the weapon at 10500 feet (3200 m). The crew set the bomb to self destruct at 2500 feet (762 m) and dropped over the St. Lawrence River. The explosion shook area residents and scattered nearly of uranium (U 238) used in the weapon's tamper. No fissile core was installed in the bomb. March 1, 1954Bikini Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands (then Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)Nuclear test accidentDuring the Castle Bravo test of the first deployable hydrogen bomb, a miscalculation resulted in the explosion being over twice as large as predicted, with a total explosive force of Of the total yield, were from fission of the natural uranium tamper, but those fission reactions were quite dirty, producing a large amount of fallout. Combined with the much larger than expected yield and an unanticipated wind shift, radioactive fallout spread into unexpected areas. A Japanese fishing boat, the Daigo Fukuryu Maru/Lucky Dragon, came into contact with the fallout, which caused many of the crew to become ill, with one fatality. The fallout spread eastward onto the inhabited Rongelap and Rongerik Atolls. These islands were not evacuated before the explosion due to the unanticipated fallout zone and the financial cost involved, but many of the Marshall Islands natives have since suffered from radiation burns and radioactive dusting and also similar fates as the Japanese fishermen and have received little, if any, compensation from the federal government. The test resulted in an international uproar and reignited Japanese concerns about radiation, especially with regard to the possible contamination of fish. Personal accounts of the Rongelap people can be seen in the documentary Children of Armageddon. November 29, 1955Idaho, US Partial meltdownOperator error led to a partial core meltdown in the experimental EBR I breeder reactor, resulting in temporarily elevated radioactivity levels in the reactor building and necessitating significant repair. March 10, 1956Over the Mediterranean SeaTwo capsules of nuclear weapons material in carrying casesA USAF B 47 Stratojet, AF Ser. No. 52 534, on a non stop mission from MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, to an overseas base descended into a cloud formation at 14,000 feet over the Mediterranean in preparation for an in air refueling and vanished while transporting two capsules of nuclear weapons material in carrying cases; a nuclear detonation was not possible. A French news agency reported that the plane had exploded in the air Northeast of Saïdia, in French Morocco in the same general location of its last known position. The plane was lost while flying through dense clouds, and the cores and other wreckage were never located. July 27, 1956RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, UK Nuclear weapons damagedA USAF B 47 crashed into a storage igloo, spreading burning fuel over three Mark 6 nuclear bombs at RAF Lakenheath. A bomb disposal expert stated it was a miracle exposed detonators on one bomb did not fire, which presumably would have released nuclear material into the environment. May 22, 1957Kirtland AFB in New Mexico, US Non nuclear detonation of a Mark 17 thermonuclear bombA B 36 ferrying a nuclear weapon from Biggs AFB to Kirtland AFB dropped a nuclear weapon on approach to Kirtland. The weapon struck the ground 4.5 miles south of the Kirtland control tower and 0.3 miles west of the Sandia Base reservation. The weapon was completely destroyed by the detonation of its high explosive material, creating a crater 12 feet (3.7 m) deep and 25 feet (7.62 m) in diameter. Radioactive contamination at the crater lip amounted to 0.5 milliroentgen. September 29, 1957Kyshtym, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, USSR (now Russian Federation)Explosion, release of nuclear materialsA cooling system failure at the Mayak nuclear processing plant resulted in a major explosion and release of radioactive materials. A large area was subjected to radioactive contamination and thousands of local inhabitants were evacuated. October 8–12, 1957Sellafield, Cumbria, UK Reactor core fireTechnicians mistakenly overheated Windscale Pile No. 1 during an annealing process to release Wigner energy from graphite portions of the reactor. Poorly placed temperature sensors indicated the reactor was cooling rather than heating. The excess heat led to the failure of a nuclear cartridge, which in turn allowed uranium and irradiated graphite to react with air. The resulting fire burned for days, damaging a significant portion of the reactor core. About 150 burning fuel cells could not be removed from the core, but operators succeeded in creating a firebreak by removing nearby fuel cells. An effort to cool the graphite core with water and the switching off of the air cooling system eventually quenched the fire. The reactor had released radioactive gases into the surrounding countryside, primarily in the form of iodine 131 (131I). Milk distribution was banned in a 200 square miles (518 km2) area around the reactor for several weeks. A 1987 report by the National Radiological Protection Board predicted the accident would cause as many as 100 long term cancer deaths, although the Medical Research Council Committee concluded that "it is in the highest degree unlikely that any harm has been done to the health of anybody, whether a worker in the Windscale plant or a member of the general public." The reactor that burned was one of two air cooled, graphite moderated natural uranium reactors at the site used for production of plutonium. A 2007 study concluded that because the actual amount of radiation released in the fire could be double the previous estimates, and that the radioactive plume actually travelled further east, there were 100 to 240 cancer fatalities in the long term as a result of the fire. October 11, 1957 Homestead Air Force Base, FloridaNuclear bomb burned after B 47 aircraft accidentB 47 aircraft crashed during take off after a wheel exploded; one nuclear bomb burned in the resulting fire. January 31, 1958Sidi Slimane Air Base, MoroccoNuclear bomb damaged in crashFebruary 5, 1958 Savannah, Georgia, US Unarmed nuclear bomb lostA USAF B 47 bomber jettisoned a Mark 15 Mod 0 nuclear bomb (the nuclear capsule was not aboard the aircraft; the bomb contained a simulated 150 pound (68 kg) cap made of lead)over the Atlantic Ocean after a midair collision with a USAF F 86 Sabre during a simulated combat mission from Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. The F 86's pilot ejected and parachuted to safety. The USAF claimed the B 47 tried landing at Hunter Air Force Base, Georgia three times before the bomb was jettisoned at 7200 feet (2195 m) near Tybee Island, Georgia. The B 47 pilot successfully landed in one attempt only after he first jettisoned the bomb. A 3 square miles (8 km2) area near Wassaw Sound was searched for nine weeks before the search was called off. February 28, 1958Greenham Common US Base, Newbury, EnglandA B 47E of the 310th Bomb Wing developed problems shortly after takeoff and jettisoned its two 1,700 gallon external fuel tanks. They missed their designated safe impact area, and one hit a hangar while the other struck the ground 65 feet (20 m) behind a parked B 47E. The parked plane, which was fuelled, had a pilot on board, and was carrying a 1.1 megaton (4.6 PJ) B28 nuclear bomb, was engulfed by flames. The conflagration took sixteen hours and over a million gallons of water to extinguish, partly because of the magnesium alloys used in the aircraft. Although two men were killed and eight injured, the US and UK governments kept the accident secret: as late as 1985, the British government claimed that a taxiing aircraft had struck a parked one and that no fire was involved. March 11, 1958Mars Bluff, South CarolinaNon nuclear detonation of a nuclear bombA USAF B 47E bomber, number 53 1876A, was flying from Hunter Air Force Base in Savannah, Georgia, to England in a formation of four B 47s on a top secret mission called Operation Snow Flurry to perform a mock bombing exercise. The flight navigator/bombardier was checking the locking harness on the massive Mark 6 nuclear bomb when he accidentally pushed the emergency release lever. The bomb fell on the bomb bay doors, smashing them open and going into a 15,000 feet (4572 m) free fall. The high explosive detonator went off after it hit the ground 6.5 miles east of Florence, South Carolina, in Mars Bluff, creating a 70 feet (21 m) wide crater, 30 feet (9 m) deep. A nearby house was destroyed and several people were injured. A nuclear detonation was not possible because, while on board, the weapon's core was not in the weapon for safety reasons. June 16, 1958Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USAccidental criticalityA supercritical portion of highly enriched uranyl nitrate was allowed to collect in the drum causing a prompt neutron criticality in the C 1 wing of building 9212 at the Y 12 complex. It is estimated that the reaction produced 1.3 × 1018 fissions. Eight employees were in close proximity to the drum during the accident, receiving neutron doses ranging from 30 to 477 rems. No fatalities were reported. November 4, 1958 Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, USNon nuclear detonation of a nuclear bombA USAF B 47 bomber developed a fire shortly after take off and went down with a nuclear weapon on board from an altitude of 1500 feet (457 m). The detonation of the high explosive material in the bomb created a crater 6 feet (1.8 m) deep and 35 feet (10.7 m) in diameter. Three crew members escaped, and one was killed. November 26, 1958Chennault Air Force Base, Louisiana, USNon nuclear detonation of a nuclear bombA USAF B 47 bomber with a nuclear weapon on board developed a fire while on the ground. The aircraft wreckage and the site of the accident were contaminated after a limited explosion of non nuclear material. December 30, 1958 Los Alamos, New Mexico, USAccidental criticalityDuring chemical purification, a critical mass of a plutonium solution was accidentally assembled at Los Alamos National Laboratory. A chemical operator named Cecil E. Kelley died of acute radiation sickness. The March 1961 Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine printed a special supplement medically analyzing this accident. Hand manipulation of critical assemblies was abandoned as a matter of policy in U. S. federal facilities after this accident. When originally disclosed in 1980, the location was originally identified as at a base in the Pacific region. In 2016, the newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported that the location of the accident was Osan Air Base. July 6, 1959Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, USLimited contaminationA USAF C 124 transporting three Mark 39 Mod 2 sealed pit nuclear weapons crashed and burned down during take off. The high explosives did not detonate, but one weapon was completely destroyed by the fire, and the other two suffered heat damage and tritium leakage. The wreckage area experienced limited contamination. September 25, 1959Off Whidbey Island, Washington, USLost nuclear weapon casingA U. S. Navy P5M antisubmarine aircraft patrolling out of NAS Whidbey Island with an unarmed Mark 90 nuclear depth charge casing on board crash landed in the Pacific Ocean, about 100 miles (160 km) west of the Washington Oregon border. The casing was not recovered. October 15, 1959Hardinsburg, Kentucky, USNuclear weapon partially damagedAfter both planes took off from Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi, a USAF B 52F 100 BO (No. 57 036), with two nuclear weapons collided at 32,000 feet (9754 m) with a KC 135 refueling aircraft (No. 57 1513), during a refueling procedure near Hardinsburg, Kentucky. Both planes crashed killing eight crew members. One unarmed nuclear weapon was partially damaged, but no contamination resulted. November 20, 1959Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USExplosionA chemical explosion occurred during decontamination of processing machinery in the radiochemical processing plant at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee (Report ORNL 2989, Oak Ridge National Laboratory). The accident resulted in the release of about of 239Pu.

+DateLocationType DescriptionJune 7, 1960New Egypt, New Jersey, USNuclear warhead damaged by fireA helium tank exploded and ruptured the fuel tanks of a USAF BOMARC A surface to air missile at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey. The fire destroyed the missile, and contaminated the area directly below and adjacent to the missile. October 13, 1960Barents Sea, Arctic Ocean Release of nuclear materialsA leak developed in the steam generators and in a pipe leading to the compensator reception on the ill fated Soviet submarine K 8 while the Soviet Northern Fleet submarine was on exercise. While the crew rigged an improvised cooling system, radioactive gases leaked into the vessel and three of the crew suffered visible radiation injuries according to radiological experts in Moscow. Some crew members had been exposed to doses of up to 1.8–2 Sv (180–200 rem). January 3, 1961National Reactor Testing Station, Idaho, USAccidental criticality, steam explosion, 3 fatalities, release of fission productsDuring a maintenance shutdown, the SL 1 experimental nuclear reactor underwent a prompt critical reaction causing core materials to explosively vaporize. Water hammer estimated at struck the top of the reactor vessel propelling the entire reactor vessel upwards over 9 feet (3 m) in the air. One operator who had been standing on top of the vessel was killed when a shield plug impaled him and lodged in the ceiling. Two other military personnel were also killed from the trauma of the explosion, one of which had removed the central control rod too far. The plant had to be dismantled and the contamination was buried permanently nearby. Most of the release of radioactive materials was concentrated within the reactor building. January 24, 1961Physical destruction of a nuclear bomb, loss of nuclear materialsA USAF B 52 bomber caught fire and exploded in midair due to a major leak in a wing fuel cell 12 mile (19 km) north of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. Five crewmen parachuted to safety, but three others died—two in the aircraft and one on landing. The incident released the bomber's two Mark 39 nuclear bombs. Three of the four arming devices on one of the bombs activated, causing it to carry out many of the steps needed to arm itself, such as the charging of the firing capacitors and, critically, the deployment of a 100 feet (30 m) diameter retardation parachute. The parachute allowed the bomb to hit the ground with little damage. The fourth arming device—the pilot's safe/arm switch—was not activated, preventing detonation. The second bomb plunged into a muddy field at around and disintegrated. Its tail was discovered about 20 feet (6 m) down and much of the bomb recovered, including the tritium bottle and the plutonium. However, excavation was abandoned due to uncontrollable ground water flooding. Most of the thermonuclear stage, containing uranium, was left on site. It is estimated to lie around 55 feet (17 m) below ground. The Air Force purchased the land and fenced it off to prevent its disturbance, and it is tested regularly for contamination, although none has so far been found. March 14, 1961USAF B 52 bomber departed Mather Air Force Base, California and experienced a decompression event that required it to fly below 10,000 feet. Resulting increased fuel consumption led to fuel exhaustion; the aircraft crashed near Yuba City, California with two nuclear bombs, which did not trigger a nuclear explosion. July 4, 1961Coast of Norway Near meltdownThe Soviet submarine Soviet submarine K 19 suffered a failure in its cooling system. Reactor core temperatures reached , nearly enough to melt the fuel rods, although the crew was able to regain temperature control by using emergency procedures. The incident contaminated parts of the ship, some of the onboard ballistic missiles and the crew, resulting in several fatalities. The film K 19: The Widowmaker, starring Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson, May 1, 1962 Sahara desert, French Algeria (now Algeria)Accidental venting of underground nuclear testThe second French underground nuclear test, codenamed Béryl, took place in a shaft under Mount Taourirt, near In Ecker, north of Tamanrasset, Algerian Sahara. Due to improper sealing of the shaft, a spectacular flame burst through the concrete cap and radioactive gases and dust were vented into the atmosphere. The plume climbed up to high and radiation was detected hundreds of kilometers away. About a hundred soldiers and officials, including two ministers, were irradiated. The number of contaminated Algerians is unknown. May 22, 1962 Chico, California, USExplosion of Titan I ICBM Titan I ICBM explodes in its silo in Chico, California. During a contractor checkout, a leak and subsequent explosion occurred at launcher 1 at complex 4C at Chico, destroying a Titan I and causing heavy damage to the silo. The Air Force concluded that the two separate explosions occurred because of a blocked vent and blocked valve. All contractors and crew of the silo escaped unharmed. June 20, 1962Johnson IslandSelf destruction of nuclear armed Thor missilePart of the Starfish test series by the US military, a Thor missile was launched but had its flight aborted one minute after its takeoff. No nuclear explosion took place. However, heavily contaminated missile components fell back down upon the island where service personnel worked and lived. July 25, 1962Johnson IslandExplosion of nuclear armed Thor missileThe Thor missile exploded on its launchpad, scattering highly contaminated debris all over the island. Service personnel were heavily exposed to radiation both during the explosion and in subsequent emergency clean up efforts. Veterans who were exposed to the high radiological hazards all suffered lethal long term effects of radiation based cancers. April 10, 1963 Loss of nuclear reactorSubmarine Thresher sinks about east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts due to improper welds allowing in seawater which forced a shutdown of the reactor. Poor design of its emergency blow system prevented the ship from surfacing and the disabled ship ultimately descended to crush depth and imploded, killing all 129 on board. Wreckage remains on the sea floor at 8,400 feet (2,600 m) below the surfaceJanuary 13, 1964Salisbury, Pennsylvania and Frostburg, Maryland, USAccidental loss and recovery of thermonuclear bombsUSAF B 52 on airborne alert duty encountered a severe winter storm and extreme turbulence, ultimately disintegrating in midair over South Central Pennsylvania. Only the two pilots survived. One crew member failed to bail out and the rest succumbed to injuries or exposure to the harsh winter weather. A search for the missing weapons was initiated, and recovery was effected from portions of the wreckage at a farm northwest of Frostburg, MD. December 5, 1964Ellsworth AFB, South DakotaMinuteman ICBM missile warhead separationWarhead separated in the launch tube due to an electrical short circuit and fell to the bottom of the tube. At launch facility Lima 02 near Vale, South Dakota. The missile site was part of the former 44th Missile Wing at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. December 8, 1964 Bunker Hill Air Force Base, Indiana, US Fire, radioactive contaminationUSAF B 58 aircraft carrying a B53 nuclear bomb internally, and four B43 nuclear bombs externally, caught fire while taxiing after its landing gear collapsed. The B53 burned, causing contamination of the crash area. Two of the B43s caused some plutonium and uranium contamination. January 1965Livermore, California, USRelease of nuclear materialsAn accident at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory released 300 kCi (11 PBq) of tritium gas. Subsequent study found this release was not likely to produce adverse health effects in the surrounding communities. October 11, 1965Rocky Flats Plant, Golden, Colorado, USFire, exposure of workersA fire at Rocky Flats exposed a crew of 25 to up to 17 times the legal limit for radiation. December 5, 1965 Philippine SeaLoss of a nuclear bombA U. S. Navy A 4E Skyhawk aircraft with one B43 nuclear bomb on board fell off the aircraft carrier Ticonderoga into 16200 feet (4938 m) of water while the ship was underway from Vietnam to Yokosuka, Japan. The plane, pilot and weapon were never recovered. There is dispute over exactly where the incident took place—the U. S. Defense Department originally stated it took place 500 mile (805 km) off the coast of Japan; The accident was said to occur 68 mile (109 km) from Kikai Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. U. S. Navy documents later show it happened about 80 mile (129 km) from the Ryukyu Islands and 200 mile (322 km) from Okinawa. January 17, 1966 Palomares, Almería, SpainAccidental destruction, loss and recovery of nuclear bombsA USAF B 52 carrying four hydrogen bombs collided with a USAF KC 135 jet tanker during over ocean in flight refueling. Four of the B 52's seven crew members parachuted to safety while the remaining three were killed along with all four of the KC 135's crew. The conventional explosives in two of the bombs detonated upon impact with the ground, dispersing plutonium over nearby farms. A third bomb landed intact near Palomares, Almería (Spain) while the fourth fell 12 mile (19 km) off the coast into the Mediterranean sea. The U. S. Navy conducted a three month search involving 12,000 men and successfully recovered the fourth bomb. The U. S. Navy employed the use of the deep diving research submarine DSV Alvin to aid in the recovery efforts. During the ensuing cleanup, of radioactive soil and tomato plants were shipped to a nuclear dump in Aiken, South Carolina. The U. S. settled claims by 522 Palomares residents for $600,000. The town also received a $200,000 desalinization plant. The motion picture Men of Honor (2000), starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., as USN Diver, Master Chief Petty Officer Carl Brashear, and Robert De Niro as USN Diver, Chief Petty Officer Billy Sunday, contained an account of the fourth bomb's recovery. January 21, 1968Thule Air Base, GreenlandLoss and partial recovery of nuclear bombsA fire broke out in the navigator's compartment of a USAF B 52 near Thule Air Base, Greenland. The bomber crashed 7 mile (11 km) from the airbase, rupturing the bomber's bomb bay and causing the conventional explosives in the four B28FI thermonuclear bombs to detonate, fragmenting and spreading the radioactive primary and secondary components across a large area. The burning bomber and its fuel load melted through the ice, dropping wreckage to the seafloor underneath. The recovery and decontamination effort was complicated by Greenland's harsh weather. Contaminated ice and debris were returned and buried in the United States. Recovered bomb fragments were recycled by Pantex, in Amarillo, Texas. The incident caused outrage and protests in Denmark, as Greenland is a Danish possession, and Denmark forbade nuclear weapons on its territory. March 8, 19681,560 nautical miles (2,890 km) northwest of Oahu in the Pacific Ocean?The Soviet nuclear submarine Soviet submarine K 129 sank with a crew of 98 due to an explosion of unknown cause. The International Atomic Energy Agency stated that two nuclear warheads from K 129 were located in the Pacific 1,230 miles from Kamchatka at coordinates 40°6'N and 179°57'E at a depth of 6,000 metres (20,000 ft), and lists them as recovered. May 22, 1968 740 km (400 nmi) southwest of the AzoresLoss of nuclear reactor and two W34 nuclear warheadsThe U. S. submarine Scorpion sank while en route from Rota, Spain, to Norfolk, Virginia, United States. The cause of sinking remains unknown; all 99 officers and men on board were killed. Scorpion's original "full overhaul" was reduced in scope. Long overdue SUBSAFE work, such as a new central valve control system, was not performed. The wreckage of the submarine, its S5W nuclear reactor, and its two Mark 45 torpedoes with W34 nuclear warheads, remain on the sea floor in more than of water. May 24, 1968Barents Sea, Arctic Ocean Loss of cooling, radioactive contamination, nuclear fuel damagedDuring sea trials, the Soviet nuclear submarine Soviet submarine K 27 (Project 645) suffered severe problems with its reactor cooling systems. After spending some time at reduced power, reactor output inexplicably dropped and sensors detected an increase of gamma radiation in the reactor compartment to 150 rad/h. The safety buffer tank released radioactive gases further contaminating the submarine. The crew shut the reactor down and subsequent investigation found that approximately 20% of the fuel assemblies were damaged. The entire submarine was scuttled in the Kara Sea in 1981. August 27, 1968Severodvinsk, Russia (then USSR)Reactor power excursion, contaminationWhile in the naval yards at Severodvinsk for repairs, the Soviet nuclear submarine Soviet submarine K 140 suffered an uncontrolled increase of the reactor's power output. One of the reactors activated automatically when workers raised control rods to a higher position and power increased to 18 times normal, while pressure and temperature levels in the reactor increased to four times normal. The accident also increased radiation levels aboard the vessel. The problem was traced to the incorrect installation of control rod electrical cables. May 11, 1969Rocky Flats Plant, Golden, Colorado, USPlutonium fire, contaminationAn accident in which 5 kilograms of plutonium burnt inside a glovebox at Rocky Flats. Cleanup took two years and was the costliest industrial accident ever to occur in the United States at that time.

+DateLocationTypeDescriptionApril 12, 1970Bay of BiscayLoss of a nuclear submarineThe Soviet attack submarine Soviet submarine K 8 sank during salvage with 52 sailors on board after suffering fires in two compartments simultaneously. Both reactors were shut down. The crew attempted to hook a tow line to an Eastern Bloc merchant vessel, but ultimately failed. December 18, 1970Nevada Test SiteAccidental venting of nuclear explosionThe Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963 was meant to prevent the nuclear fallout freely associated with the earlier above ground tests. Some venting might still happen on site, but the 1970 "Baneberry" test blast – part of Operation Emery – resulted in extensive off site fallout. The 10 kiloton "Baneberry" test took place under Area 8 on Yucca Flat. The weapon detonated as planned at the bottom of a sealed vertical shaft 274.32 m below the Earth's surface, but the device's energy cracked the soil in unexpected ways, causing a fissure near ground zero and releasing a plume of hot gases and radioactive dust that continued for many hours, raining fallout on workers within NTS. Six percent of the explosion's radioactive products were vented, releasing 6.7 MCi of radioactive material, including 80 kCi of Iodine 131 and a high ratio of noble gases. The hot cloud's lighter particles were carried to three altitudes by three diverging jet stream layers and conveyed by winter storms and the jet stream to be deposited heavily as radionuclide laden snow in Lassen and Sierra counties in northeast California, and to lesser degrees in northern Nevada, southern Idaho and some eastern sections of Oregon and Washington states. The three diverging jet stream layers conducted radionuclides across the U. S. to Canada, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Some 86 workers at the site were exposed to radioactivity, but according to the Department of Energy, none received a dose exceeding site guidelines and, similarly, radiation drifting offsite was not considered to pose a hazard by the DOE. In March 2009, TIME magazine identified the Baneberry Test as one of the world's worst nuclear disasters. December 12, 1971New London, Connecticut, USSpill of irradiated waterDuring the transfer of radioactive coolant water from the submarine Dace to the submarine tender Fulton were spilled into the Thames River (US). December 1972Pawling, New York, USContaminationA major fire and two explosions contaminated the plant and grounds of a plutonium fabrication facility resulting in a permanent shutdown. April 21, 1973Pacific Ocean, 370 miles from Puget Sound Primary coolant leakPrimary coolant leak on board the submarine Guardfish while underway 1975Location unknownContaminationRadioactive resin contaminates the American Guardfish after wind unexpectedly blows the powder back towards the ship. The resin is used to remove dissolved radioactive minerals and particles from the primary coolant loops of submarines. This type of accident was fairly common; however, U. S. Navy nuclear vessels no longer discharge resin at sea. October 1975Apra Harbor, GuamSpill of irradiated waterWhile disabled, the submarine tender Proteus discharged radioactive coolant water. A Geiger counter at two of the harbor's public beaches showed 100 millirems/hour, fifty times the allowable dose. August 1976Benton County, Washington, United StatesExplosion, contamination of workerAn explosion at the Hanford site Plutonium Finishing Plant blew out a quarter inch thick lead glass window. Harold McCluskey, a worker, was showered with nitric acid and radioactive glass. He inhaled the largest dose of 241Am ever recorded, about 500 times the U. S. government occupational standards. The worker was placed in isolation for five months and given an experimental drug to flush the isotope from his body. By 1977, his body's radiation count had fallen by about 80 percent. He died of natural causes in 1987 at age 75.1977Coast of KamchatkaLoss and recovery of a nuclear warheadThe Soviet submarine Soviet submarine K 171 accidentally released a nuclear warhead. The warhead was recovered after a search involving dozens of ships and aircraft. January 24, 1978Northwest Territories, CanadaSpill of nuclear fuelKosmos 954, a Soviet Radar Ocean Reconnaissance Satellite with an onboard nuclear reactor, failed to separate from its booster and broke up on reentry over Western and Northern Canada. The fuel was spread over a wide area and some radioactive pieces were recovered. The Soviet Union eventually paid the Canadian government $3 million CAD ($3.0 in 1978 is equivalent to about <calculated amount> in recent years million today) for expenses relating to the crash. May 22, 1978Near Puget Sound, Washington, United StatesSpill of irradiated waterA valve was mistakenly opened aboard the submarine Puffer releasing up to of radioactive water. February 1982 to December 1989Kola Peninsula, Russia (former USSR)Release of nuclear materialsThe Andreev Bay nuclear accident was associated with leaks in a massive cooling and storage pool. The leaks caused about 700,000 tonnes of highly radioactive water to leak into the Barents Sea during that time period. During the extensive period of attempted repairs and subsequent dismantling of the pool, other incidents occurred on site, including accidental accumulations of critical masses of material releasing radiation and an "industrial accident" that caused two cleanup workers to plunge directly into the radioactive pool. August 8, 1982Barents SeaRelease of nuclear materialsWhile on duty in the Barents Sea, there was a release of liquid metal coolant from the reactor of the Soviet Project 705 Soviet submarine K 123. The accident was caused by a leak in the steam generator. Approximately two tons of metal alloy leaked into the reactor compartment, irreparably damaging the reactor so it had to be replaced. It took nine years to repair the submarine. January 3, 1983South AtlanticContaminationThe Soviet nuclear powered spy satellite Kosmos 1402 burned up over the South Atlantic. August 10, 1985Chazhma Bay, VladivostokRelease of nuclear materialsAbout 35 mile (56 km) from Vladivostok in Chazhma Bay, the Soviet submarine Soviet submarine K 431 suffered a reactor explosion, producing fatally high levels of radiation. Ten men were killed, but the deadly cloud of radioactivity did not reach Vladivostok.1986Hanford Site, Washington, USRelease of nuclear materialsThe U. S. government declassified 19,000 pages of documents indicating that between 1946 and 1986, the Hanford Site near Richland, Washington, released thousands of US gallons of radioactive liquids. Many of the people living in the affected area received low doses of radiation from 131I. October 3, 1986North AtlanticLoss of two nuclear reactors and either 32 or 48 warheads480 mile (772 km) east of Bermuda, the Soviet submarine Soviet submarine K 219 experienced an explosion in one of its missile tubes and at least three crew members were killed. Sixteen nuclear missiles and two reactors were on board. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev privately communicated news of the disaster to U. S. President Ronald Reagan before publicly acknowledging the incident on October 4. Two days later, on October 6, the submarine sank in the Atlantic Ocean while under tow in 18000 feet (5486 m) of water. October 1988Rocky Flats Plant, Golden, Colorado, USContamination, exposure of workersAt the nuclear pit fabrication facility at Rocky Flats in Colorado, two employees and a United States Department of Energy inspector inhaled radioactive particles, causing closure of the plant. Several safety violations were cited, including uncalibrated monitors, inadequate fire equipment, and groundwater contaminated with radioactivity.

Date Location Type Description 1997 Georgia Radiological accident Soldiers suffered radiation poisoning and burns. They were eventually traced back to training sources abandoned, forgotten, and unlabeled after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. One was a 137Cs pellet in a pocket of a shared jacket which put out about 130,000 times the level of background radiation at a distance.