Was There A U.S. Nuclear Weapons Accident At Vokel Air Base In The Netherlands?

Did the U.S. Air Force suffer a nuclear weapons accident at Volkel Air Base?  

Federation Of American Scientists: Was There a U.S. Nuclear Weapons Accident At a Dutch Air Base? 

Did the U.S. Air Force suffer a nuclear weapons accident at an airbase in Europe a few years back? [Update: After USAFE and LANL initially declined to comment on the picture, a Pentagon spokesperson later clarified that the image is not of an actual nuclear weapons accident but of a training exercise, as cautioned in the second paragraph below. The spokesperson declined to comment on the main conclusion of this article, however, that the image appears to be from inside an aircraft shelter at Volkel Air Base.] 

A photo in a Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) student briefing from 2022 shows four people inspecting what appears to be a damaged B61 nuclear bomb. The document does not identify where the photo was taken or when, but it appears to be from inside a Protective Aircraft Shelter (PAS) at Volkel Air Base in the Netherlands. 

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Update #1: ‘Damaged nuclear bomb’ at Dutch base was dummy weapon, Pentagon says (The Guardian)  

Update #2: Pictured: Nuclear bomb at air base appears to have been twisted by impact (The Telegraph)  

WNU Editor: The Pentagon is denying these reports. But it is clear in the above picture that this particular bomb looks damaged.

U.S. Intellgience: Mysterious Russian Explosion Was Triggered By Recovery Mission Of Nuclear-Powered Missile, Not A Test

This video grab from RU-RTR Russian television on Thursday, March 1, 2018, purports to show the launch of what President Vladimir Putin said is Russia's new nuclear-powered intercontinental cruise missile. President Vladimir Putin declared Thursday that Russia has developed a range of new nuclear weapons, claiming they can't be intercepted by enemy. (RU-RTR Russian Television via YouTube)

CNBC: US intel report says mysterious Russian explosion was triggered by recovery mission of nuclear-powered missile, not a test

* A U.S. intelligence report says the mysterious explosion off Russia’s northern coast occurred during a recovery mission to salvage the Kremlin’s nuclear-powered missile from the ocean floor.
* The mysterious explosion sparked fears that Russia had tested its nuclear-powered Burevestnik missile, also known as Skyfall.
* CNBC learned last year of similar plans Moscow made to try to recover a nuclear-powered missile lost at sea.

WASHINGTON — A U.S. intelligence assessment found that the mysterious explosion off of Russia’s northern coast occurred during a recovery mission to salvage a nuclear-powered missile from the ocean floor, according to people with direct knowledge of the report.

The mysterious explosion on Aug. 8 killed five scientists and sparked fears that Russia had tested its new nuclear-powered Burevestnik missile, also known as Skyfall.

“This was not a new launch of the weapon, instead it was a recovery mission to salvage a lost missile from a previous test,” said a person with direct knowledge of the U.S. intelligence assessment. “There was an explosion on one of the vessels involved in the recovery and that caused a reaction in the missile’s nuclear core which lead to the radiation leak,” said another person, who spoke to CNBC on the condition of anonymity.

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Update: That Deadly Nuclear Blast in Russia Happened While Trying to Rescue a Lost Missile From the Ocean Floor (VICE)

WNU Editor: It seems that with each passing week we are learning more about this Russian military accident than before.

More Details Emerge On Russia's Mysterious Missile Explosion

Business Insider: New details on Russia's mysterious missile disaster suggest a nuclear reactor blew up

* Russia's state weather agency said on Monday that a cloud of inert radioactive gases that swept across a Russian town earlier this month was produced by fast-decaying radioactive isotopes released by an explosion at the Nyonoksa testing range.
* Though Russia's explanations for what occurred have varied, the blast has been tied to a failed missile test.
* A Norwegian nuclear expert told The Barents Observer that these isotopes — of strontium, barium, and lanthanum — were caused by a "nuclear chain reaction," saying it was evidence that it "was a nuclear reactor that exploded."
* US experts and intelligence officials suspect that the failed weapons test involved the 9M730 Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, a superweapon that NATO calls the SSC-X-9 Skyfall.

A mysterious explosion at a Russian weapons testing site earlier this month released various radioactive isotopes, creating a cloud of radioactive gases that swept across a nearby town, the country's state weather agency said Monday, and experts said the mixture removes all doubt about what blew up.

The deadly August 8 blast at the Nyonoksa military weapons testing range released a handful of rapidly decaying radioactive isotopes — strontium-91, barium-139, barium-140, and lanthanum-140 — which have half-lives ranging from 83 minutes to 12.8 days, the Roshydromet national weather and environmental monitoring agency said in a statement on test samples.

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More Details Emerge On Russia's Mysterious Missile Explosion

Russia finds radioactive isotopes in test samples after accident -- Reuters
Russian agency reveals details of radiation levels after Aug. 8 'weapons' explosion -- CBC/AP
Exploding Russian rocket DID send huge cloud of radioactive gas across nearby town, officials confirm – but insist levels returned to normal and there is no health risk -- Daily Mail
Russia Identifies 4 Radioactive Isotopes From Nuclear Accident -- The New York Times
Russia says radioactive isotopes released by mystery blast -- The Guardian
Russia says missile test blast released radioactive isotopes -- The Hill
Russian Weather Agency Says Radioactive Isotopes Found After Accident -- RFE
Russia nuclear missile explosion resulted in radioactive isotopes found in test samples after accident -- FOX News
Russia Finds Radioactive Isotopes in Samples Taken After Severodvinsk Military Range Blast -- Sputnik
Russia Changes Position On Radiation Leaks Again Weeks After Nuclear Missile Explosion -- Warzone/The Drive

Russian President Putin Admits That Deadly Explosion Occurred During A Weapons Test

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a joint news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in the Presidental Palace in Helsinki, Finland, August 21, 2019. Markku Ulander/Lehtikuva/via REUTERS

Reuters: Putin says deadly military accident occurred during weapons systems test

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that a deadly blast at a military site in northern Russia earlier this month had taken place during the testing of what he called promising new weapons systems.

Putin said that Moscow could not reveal everything about the blast because of its military nature, but that information exchanges about such accidents should be improved.

“When it comes to activities of a military nature, there are certain restrictions on access to information,” Putin told a news conference in Helsinki, standing alongside Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.

He did not reveal which weapons system was being tested at the time of the blast on Aug. 8.

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More News On Russian President Putin Admitting That Deadly Explosion Occurred During A Weapons Test

Putin says mysterious explosion posed no radiation threat -- AP
Putin Says Arkhangelsk Blast Occurred During Weapons Test, But Holds Back On Details -- RFE
Putin Says Weapons Test Was Behind Deadly Blast -- The Wall Street Journal

Russian President Putin Insists There Is ‘No Nuclear Threat’ From Missile Test Blast Early This Month

Daily Mail: Putin insists there is ‘no threat’ from missile test blast after it emerges that two Russian bases monitoring radiation went silent for days amid fears of Chernobyl-style cover-up

* Russian president attempted to quash radiation fears after blast at Russian base
* Explosion on August 8 is thought to have involved nuclear missile and killed five
* Kremlin refused to give details, saying that it involved 'isotope power source'
* It has since been revealed that two stations which monitor radiation close to the explosion site went offline two days afterwards
* Experts believe it is part of a concerted cover-up campaign by the Russian state

Vladimir Putin has insisted there is 'no threat' of contamination after an explosion at a Russian missile testing site last week sparked panic of a Chernobyl-style catastrophe.

Two research stations that monitor radiation levels went silent in the days after a suspected nuclear missile explosion on August 8, prompting fears of a cover-up.

'There is no threat and no rise in the radiation level there,' the Russian president said at a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.

He added: 'We sent experts there and they are controlling the situation now. Preventative measures are taken so nothing unexpected happens.'

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Update #1: Putin says Russian nuclear explosion poses no threat (AP)
Update #2: Kremlin says no cause for alarm after nuclear sensors go offline (Reuters)

WNU Editor: If there is one thing that Russians have learned while living under Communism is that when the leadership says there is nothing to worry about while making sure that no outside observers or independent groups can verify what the government is saying, that is when you have to worry. In this case it is obvious that a serious nuclear accident occurred that killed a number of people, and made an even larger number sick. What is not known is how large is the contaminated area, and will it spread. The fact that nuclear monitoring centers went offline during this incident is also raising questions. Bottom line. The Russian nature is to always assume the worse, and in the case everyone is thinking Chernobyl.

Russia Nuclear Monitoring Sites Went Silent After Mystery Nuclear-Powered Missile Explosion

Russia tests its 9M730 Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile in this clip released July 19, 2018 by the Russian Defense Ministry. Trials of the unique, experimental weapon have reportedly had mixed results. Russian Ministry of Defense

Moscow Times: Russia’s Nuclear Monitors ‘Went Silent’ Following Rocket Explosion – WSJ

Two of Russia’s nuclear radiation monitoring stations went silent two days after a mysterious explosion that led to a radiation spike in northern Russia earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Russian officials say at least five nuclear engineers were killed during a rocket test involving “isotope power sources” on a platform in the White Sea, leading to outside speculation that the accident involved a nuclear-powered cruise missile. Four international stations designed to monitor nuclear activity had detected “an event coinciding with the [Aug. 8] explosion in Nyonoksa, Russia,” the world’s main nuclear test-ban body said on Aug. 10.

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WNU Editor: Nothing about this story surprises me. This is why Russians do not trust their institutions when it comes to telling the truth about disasters like this one.

More News On Reports That Russia's Nuclear Monitoring Sites Went Silent After Mystery Nuclear-Powered Missile Explosion

Russian Nuclear Monitoring Stations Went Silent After Missile Blast -- The Wall Street Journal
Russia nuclear monitoring sites lost contact after mystery blast: report -- FOX News
Two Russian Radiation Detectors Went Silent After Mystery Nuclear-powered Missile Explosion: 'Very Odd Coincidence' -- Newsweek
Atomic watchdog: Russian monitoring stations ‘went silent’ after mystery blast -- Times of Israel

Russian Village Near Site Of Suspected Nuclear Missile Explosion Told To Evacuate

Experts were working on 'a nuclear isotope power source' for the weapon when the blast occurred at the Nyonoksa facility in north western Russia, officials say. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: 'In this particular case, it is important for us to remember those heroes who lost their lives in this accident'

The Independent: Russia nuclear explosion: Village near site of deadly missile accident told to evacuate after radiation spike

Residents warned of 'planned activities of the military authorities' at site of secretive disaster

Russian authorities have told people in a village near the site of a deadly missile explosion involving a nuclear power test to "leave the territory", after the accident triggered a spike in radiation.

The country's state weather service said radiation levels spiked in the Russian city of Severodvinsk by up to 16 times last Thursday after what officials say was an explosion during a rocket engine test on a sea platform.

"We have received a notification ... about the planned activities of the military authorities. In this regard, residents of Nyonoksa were asked to leave the territory of the village from 14 August," authorities in Severodvinsk were quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

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WNU Editor: Residents are being told to leave now?!?!?!? I do not think the Russian authorities have a handle on this.

More News On A Russian Village Near The Site Of Last Week's Suspected Nuclear Missile Explosion Being Told To Evacuate

Residents told to evacuate after rise in radiation levels near Russian blast site -- France 24
Evacuation reports spark confusion after Russia nuclear accident -- CBS
Russian village near site of suspected nuclear missile explosion to be evacuated, report says -- CNN
Russian town evacutated after nuclear mishap -- DW
Russian villagers set for mini-evacuation from fatal nuclear blast area -- The Guardian
Russian village evacuation as rocket blast sparks radiation fears -- Al Jazeera

President Trump: U.S. Is 'Learning Much' From The Nuclear Accident At A Russian Military Testing Range

The United States is learning much from the failed missile explosion in Russia. We have similar, though more advanced, technology. The Russian “Skyfall” explosion has people worried about the air around the facility, and far beyond. Not good!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2019

Daily Mail: Donald Trump reveals that 'we have similar though more advanced technology' after disaster hits Vladimir Putin's Skyfall rocket

* President Donald Trump says the United States is developing a missile that's 'similar, though more advanced' than the one than the one Russia's working on
* Scientists are believed to have been testing the weapons when a blast killed five
* Trump said in a Monday evening tweet, 'The United States is learning much from the failed missile explosion in Russia'
* 'We have similar, though more advanced, technology,' he said. 'The Russian “Skyfall” explosion has people worried about the air around the facility'
* He did not disclose the details of the alleged U.S. military project in his message and it was not clear whether he was referring to a current or future project
* U.S. is currently developing a hypersonic missile that could be operational 2022

President Donald Trump says the United States is developing a missile that's 'similar, though more advanced,' than the one Russian scientists are believed to have been testing when a blast killed five last week.

Trump said in a Monday evening tweet, 'The United States is learning much from the failed missile explosion in Russia.

'We have similar, though more advanced, technology,' he said coyly. 'The Russian “Skyfall” explosion has people worried about the air around the facility, and far beyond. Not good!'

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WNU Editor: I am sure the U.S. and other countries are learning a lot from last week's nuclear accident in Russia. But his tweet has raised the following question .... Did President Trump had casually revealed the existence of a secret US nuclear program, or was his claim a baseless brag?

More News On President Trump's Tweet On Last Week's Nuclear Accident At A Russian Military Testing Range

Trump: US is 'learning much' from Russian missile explosion -- The Hill
Trump says US is 'learning much' from accident at Russia's military testing range -- TASS
Donald Trump Says US Learning "Much" From Russian Missile Test Blast -- NDTV/AFP
Trump: US has better weapons than the 'failed' Russian 'Skyfall' missile -- Washington Examiner
U.S. Has ‘More Advanced’ Rocket Than Russia’s Nuclear Cruise Missile – Trump -- Moscow Times
Trump Comments on 'Missile Explosion' in Russia, Boasts of US Having 'More Advanced Technology' -- Sputnik

Russian Media: Sailors Killed in Nuclear Sub Fire May Have Averted ‘Global Catastrophe’

The fire on board a doomed Russian submarine could have sparked a 'planetary catastrophe', a high-ranking military official reportedly revealed (Pictured: Motorcade outside Serafimovskoye cemetery during the funeral of Russian sailors killed in submarine fire on Saturday, July 6)

Daily Mail: Fire on board Russian nuclear submarine 'could have sparked a "planetary catastrophe", high-ranking military official revealed'

* Alleged comments made at Saturday's funeral for the blaze's 14 victims
* Victims reportedly took measures to contain the vessel's nuclear reactor
* Nearly all the victims were highly-decorated military officials
* Moscow has said details on the incident will be kept a 'state secret'

The fire on board a doomed Russian submarine could have sparked a 'planetary catastrophe', a high-ranking military official reportedly revealed.

The alleged comments were made at Saturday's funeral in St Petersburg of the 14 sailors who died in the blaze on July 1.

The victims are understood to have sealed a hatch, in a desperate bid to contain the military vessel's nuclear reactor.

The Kremlin is yet to confirm whether it was the crew members actions that prevented a potentially disastrous incident.

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More News On Russian Media Reports That Sailors Killed in Nuclear Sub Fire May Have Averted ‘Global Catastrophe’

Russian Sailors Killed in Nuclear Sub Fire May Have Averted ‘Global Catastrophe’ – Official -- Moscow Times
Russia nuclear sub fire could have caused catastrophe: report cites navy official -- Reuters
Stricken Russian Nuke Sub Crew Prevented ‘Planetary Catastrophe’ -- Bloomberg
Dead sailors stopped a 'planetary catastrophe' aboard a secret submarine, a top Russian naval officer said at their funeral -- Insider
Russian Military Says Sailors Killed On Nuclear Sub Averted ‘Planetary Catastrophe,’ Report Says -- Daily Wire

The Soviet Union Never Recovered 4 'Nuclear Torpedoes' From A Submarine That Sunk In The Bay Of Biscay In 1970

Image from Wikipedia

Robert Farley, National Interest: Russia Never Recovered 4 'Nuclear Torpedoes' from a Dead Submarine

In early spring 1970, K-8 participated in the Okean 70 naval wargame, an exercise intended to display the reach of the Soviet Navy, as well as to work out problems associated with operations distant from Soviet bases. This exercise was enormous; the largest the Soviet Navy had ever undertaken, and really the biggest naval operation that the Russians had attempted since the ill-fated transfer of the Baltic Fleet to the Pacific in the Russo-Japanese War. Ships from the Northern, Baltic, Black Sea, and Pacific fleets participated, roughly two hundred in all. The Soviet Northern Fleet deployed sixty surface ships and forty submarines in support of the operation. As per normal procedure, K-8 was carrying four torpedoes armed with nuclear warheads.

The Bay of Biscay is one of the world’s great submarine graveyards. In late World War II, British and American aircraft sank nearly seventy German U-boats in the Bay, which joined a handful of Allied and German subs sunk in the region during World War I. On April 12, 1970, a Soviet submarine found the same resting place. Unlike the others, however, K-8 was propelled by two nuclear reactors, and carried four torpedoes tipped by nuclear warheads.

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WNU Editor:  Four nuclear warheads just sitting there .... 15,000 feet under the sea .... if they are still there.

Fifty-Two Years Ago The U.S. Air Force Lost Four Hydrogen Bombs Over Spain

The casings of two B28 nuclear bombs involved in the Palomares incident are on display at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Business Insider: The US Air Force lost 4 nuclear bombs in Spain 52 years ago — and the disaster is still being felt now

* A crash involving a B-52 Stratofortress bomber over Spain in 1966 resulted in four nuclear bombs being lost for 81 days.
* The bombs were not armed, meaning there was no chance of a nuclear detonation.
* The US personnel involved in the search and Spaniards in the area have lived with the legacy of the accident in the half-century since.

Early on the morning of January 16, 1966, a B-52 Stratofortress bomber took off from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina.

The bomber headed toward Europe, where it would patrol near the borders of the Soviet Union with four nuclear weapons, part of Operation Chrome Dome, a Cold War program to provide 24-hour rapid-response capabilities in case of war.

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WNU Editor: Another near disaster averted .... but not for some who were involved in the search.

Russian Authorities Have Confirmed Reports Of High Levels of The Isotope Ruthenium-106 In The Urals

ABC News Online: Russia admits spike in radioactive ruthenium-106 over Ural Mountains amid fears of nuclear accident

Russian authorities have confirmed reports of a spike in radioactivity in the air over the Ural Mountains.

But the suspected source of the leak, a nuclear fuel processing plant, denied it was the source of contamination.

The Russian Meteorological Service said in a statement on Tuesday it recorded the release of ruthenium-106 in the southern Urals in late September and classified it as "extremely high contamination".

Russian authorities insisted, however, that the contamination posed no health risks.

France's nuclear safety agency earlier this month said it recorded radioactivity in the area between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains from a suspected accident involving nuclear fuel or the production of radioactive material.

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WNU Editor: Something went wrong. It's not everyday that someone decides to release a radioactive isotope like ruthenium-106 into the atmosphere.

More News On Russian Authorities Confirming Reports Of High Levels of The Isotope Ruthenium-106 In The Urals

Russia confirms spike in radioactivity in the Urals -- AP
Russian nuclear facility denies it is source of high radioactivity levels -- The Guardian
Russian radioactivity recorded 986 times higher than usual as toxic cloud sparks nuclear accident rumours. -- The Independent
That ‘harmless’ radioactive cloud over Europe probably did come from Russia after all -- Washington Post
Officials confirm 'high pollution' after spike in radioactivity in Urals, say no health risk -- RT
What's ruthenium-106? What you need to know about Russian radiation -- CBC

Hanford Nuclear Site: A Tunnel Collapse Emergency Has Been Declared At The Plutonium Finishing Plant In Washington State

Press release from Department of Energy on Hanford Site Emergency. We're still monitoring the situation. https://t.co/69M9C6iEGs #hanford pic.twitter.com/XPpMizMzHs

— WA Emergency Mgmt (@waEMD) May 9, 2017

King5: Tunnel at plutonium finishing plant collapses in Hanford

Hundreds of workers were in "take cover" position after a tunnel in a plutonium finishing plant collapsed at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation early Tuesday morning.

The AP reports no workers were in the tunnel at the time of collapse. Workers at the site have now been evacuated. Workers farther away were told to remain indoors.

A manager sent a message to all personnel telling them to "secure ventilation in your building" and "refrain from eating or drinking."

The tunnel was full of highly contaminated materials such as hot radioactive trains that transport fuel rods. It connects to a PUREX (plutonium uranium extraction) building.

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More News On A Tunnel Collapse Emergency Being Declared At The Plutonium Finishing Plant 'Hanford Nuclear Site' In Washington State

Hanford Nuclear Reservation tunnel collapse triggers alert -- FOX News
A tunnel collapse emergency has been declared at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, official says no radiation released -- AP
Hanford evacuates staff over contamination concerns -- KIRO Seattle

A Look At What Happened When An H-Bomb Went Missing

Eighty days after it fell into the ocean following the January 1966 midair collision between a nuclear-armed B-52G bomber and a KC-135 refueling tanker over Palomares, Spain, this B28RI nuclear bomb was recovered from 2,850 feet (869 meters) of water and lifted aboard the USS Petrel (note the missing tail fins and badly dented "false nose"). This photograph was among the first ever published of a U.S. hydrogen bomb. Left to right are Sr. Don Antonio Velilla Manteca, chief of the Spanish Nuclear Energy Board in Palomares; Brigadier General Arturo Montel Touzet, Spanish coordinator for the search and recovery operation; Rear Admiral William S. Guest, commander of U.S. Navy Task Force 65; and Major General Delmar E. Wilson, commander of the Sixteenth Air Force. The B28 had a maximum yield of 1.45 megatons. Wikipedia

Steve Weintz, War Is Boring: How to Find a Missing H-Bomb

Mathematical wizardry led to modern sea searches

When a routine Cold War operation went terribly wrong, two planes and seven men died, a village got contaminated and a hydrogen bomb disappeared.

The search and cleanup required 1,400 American and Spanish personnel, a dozen aircraft, 27 U.S. Navy ships and five submarines. It cost more than $120 million and a lot of diplomatic capital.

And it made an obscure 18th-century mathematical theorem a practical solution to finding veritable needles in haystacks.

WNU Editor: What I find fascinating about the above picture is on how small the bomb actually is for something that has the explosive power of 1.5 megatons. The energy that is wrapped up in a small fist of enriched uranium or plutonium is truly incredible.

Accident At Ukraine Nuclear Plant Forces Reactor Shutdown

Zaporozhskaya nuclear plant (Photo from www.npp.zp.ua)

"Nuclear Accident" In Southeast Ukraine, PM Yatsenyuk Says -- Deutsche Welle

Ukraine's government says a nuclear accident has occurred in the country's southeast. The incident is said to pose no threat, however.

A statement from Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Wednesday said a nuclear accident had taken place in the country's southeast.

Ukraine's energy minister said a short circuit led to a drop in production energy production, and insisted it posed no danger.

"The accident happened in the third block of the Zaporozhiya nuclear power plant in the power output section. This is in no way associated with the reactor, Volodymyr Demchyshyn said at a briefing.

"There is no threat ... there are no problems with the reactors." He added the accident affected the power output system "in no way."

He said the plant would be running at full strength on December 5.

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More News On Today's Nuclear Accident In Ukraine

Ukraine energy minister says 'no threat' from accident at nuclear plant -- Reuters
Ukraine Says Nuclear Plant Fault Cuts Power -- AP
Ukraine Reports Nuclear Plant Accident, but Official Says There’s ‘No Threat’ -- New York Times
Accident at Ukraine nuclear plant forces reactor shutdown -- The Telegraph
Accident at Ukraine nuclear plant revealed by prime minister -- RT
Ukraine Reports Accident At Nuclear Power Plant In Southeast -- IBTimes
'Emergency repair' reported at Ukraine nuclear power plant -- CNN
Ukraine Says No Danger From Nuclear Plant Accident -- Radio Free Europe
Ukraine Premier Roils Bonds With False Alarm on Nuclear Accident -- Bloomberg Businessweek

My Comment: When I read news reports like this one .... I always end up thinking of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

An Arctic Underwater Chernobyl Is Now Being Played Out In Slow Motion From Sunken Soviet Nuclear Subs

Sunken Soviet Submarines Threaten Nuclear Catastrophe in Russia's Arctic -- Matthew Bodner, Moscow Times

While Russia's nuclear bombers have recently set the West abuzz by probing NATO's air defenses, a far more certain danger currently lurks beneath the frigid Arctic waters off Russia's northern coast — a toxic boneyard for Soviet nuclear ships and reactors whose containment systems are gradually wearing out.

Left to decay at the bottom of the ocean, the world is facing a worst case scenario described as "an Arctic underwater Chernobyl, played out in slow motion," according to Thomas Nilsen, an editor at the Barents Observer newspaper and a member of a Norwegian watchdog group that monitors the situation.

According to a joint Russian-Norwegian report issued in 2012, there are 17,000 containers of nuclear waste, 19 rusting Soviet nuclear ships and 14 nuclear reactors cut out of atomic vessels at the bottom of the Kara Sea.

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My Comment: To say that is is a nightmare situation is an understatement.

A Malfunctioning Switch Saved The U.S. From A Nuclear Catastrophe In 1961

US Nearly Detonated Atomic Bomb Over North Carolina – Secret Document -- The Guardian

Exclusive: Journalist uses Freedom of Information Act to disclose 1961 accident in which one switch averted catastrophe

A secret document, published in declassified form for the first time by the Guardian today, reveals that the US Air Force came dramatically close to detonating an atom bomb over North Carolina that would have been 260 times more powerful than the device that devastated Hiroshima.

The document, obtained by the investigative journalist Eric Schlosser under the Freedom of Information Act, gives the first conclusive evidence that the US was narrowly spared a disaster of monumental proportions when two Mark 39 hydrogen bombs were accidentally dropped over Goldsboro, North Carolina on 23 January 1961. The bombs fell to earth after a B-52 bomber broke up in mid-air, and one of the devices behaved precisely as a nuclear weapon was designed to behave in warfare: its parachute opened, its trigger mechanisms engaged, and only one low-voltage switch prevented untold carnage.

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More News On How Close The U.S. Came To A Nuclear Disaster In 1961

Report: US came close nuclear disaster in 1961 -- AP
One cheap switch saved US from nuclear catastrophe in 1961, declassified document reveals -- NBC
Nuclear bomb nearly exploded over US -- The Telegraph
North Carolina almost scene of nuclear nightmare -- AJC/Reuters
US plane in 1961 'nuclear bomb near-miss' -- BBC
Atomic bomb nearly exploded over North Carolina in 1961, report says -- FOX News
Report: Nuke that fell on N.C. in 1961 almost exploded -- USA Today
The Time the U.S. Military Came This Close To Dropping a Nuclear Bomb on North Carolina -- Slate
United States came dangerously close to nuclear bombing itself, new document shows (VIDEO) -- Global Post
At the height of the Cold War, the US almost nuked ... itself -- Al Jazeera
US nearly detonated atomic bomb on own soil by accident in 1961 -- Deutsche Welle
US Air Force Almost Detonated Atomic Bomb Over North Carolina -- Live Science
Previous Post: The Secret History Of America's Nuclear Arsenal And The Times We Almost Had Nuclear Armageddon (Book Review)

The Secret History Of America's Nuclear Arsenal And The Times We Almost Had Nuclear Armageddon (Book Review)

Q&A: Eric Schlosser On The Secret History of America's Nuclear Arsenal -- Ryan Devereaux, Rolling Stone

In a new book, the 'Fast Food Nation' author investigates the many near-misses that could have caused catastrophes

It was a one-in-a-million bounce: A socket slipped from a wrench and fell about 70 feet before piercing the fuel tank of the most powerful missile in the United States' nuclear arsenal. What followed was a race to prevent an explosion that could have incinerated the state of Arkansas.

In his new book, Command and Control, award-winning investigative journalist and longtime Rolling Stone contributor Eric Schlosser reveals how this disaster was narrowly avoided at a Damascus, Arkansas missile silo in 1980 – and shows that it was just one incident in an ongoing pattern of near-misses and bureaucratic blunders that have brought America to the nuclear brink again and again. Drawing on six years of research, Schlosser challenges and expands on the U.S. government's secretive record regarding nuclear accidents.

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Update: A Sneak Peek at Eric Schlosser's Terrifying New Book on Nuclear Weapons -- Mother Jones

My Comment: I am definitely looking forward to reading the book. The Mother Jones review is riveting.

What A Nuclear Accident May Cost

World Nuclear Association

Major Nuclear Accident Would Cost France $580 Billion: Study -- Reuters

(Reuters) - A nuclear accident similar to the one at Japan's Fukushima reactor would cost France about 430 billion euros ($580 billion), or 20 percent of its economic output, French nuclear safety institute IRSN said in a study on the possible financial impact of a nuclear crisis.

A major disaster damaging one of France's 58 nuclear reactors and contaminating the environment with radioactive material would displace an estimated 100,000 people, destroy crops and create massive power outages, the study said.

"A major accident would have terrible consequences, but we would have to deal with them because the country wouldn't be annihilated, so we have to talk about it, however difficult it is," Jacques Repussard, the head of the public-funded IRSN, said on Wednesday at a presentation at the Cadarache nuclear research centre in southeastern France.

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My Comment: The Chernobyl disaster left a legacy that will be present in that part of the Ukraine for centuries .... and the cost is unimaginable. If such a disaster should strike France .... ditto there. Now just imagine what a nuclear war would cost.