The 7,600 pound bomb fell adjacent to his home in Mars Bluff, South Carolina. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Mars Bluff, South Carolina". Atomic Bomb Crater Mars Bluff, a quiet community in eastern Florence County, S.C.,was jolted onto Cold War headlines by a historic explosion,March 11th, 1958. There are several fragments and newspaper articles for viewing. Atomic Bomb Accident at Mars Bluff, March 11, 1958.. Its conventional high explosives detonated, destroying the playhouse, and leaving a crater about 70 feet (21 m) wide and 35 feet (11 m) deep. 1958 Mars Bluff, SC B-47 nuclear weapon loss incident. Several of them eventually found their way into a museum in nearby Florence. The bomb, which lacked the fissile nuclear core, fell over the area, causing damage to buildings below. The United States Air Force (USAF) was sued by the family of the victims, who received US$54,000, equivalent to $468,934 in 2018. The plutonium core didn't explode, but the 6,000 pounds of conventional high explosives detonated, transforming the Gregg's vegetable garden into a vast muddy crater and destroying their house. Six people were injured by the explosion of the bomb's conventional explosive load. Great for discovering comps, sales history, photos, and more. All three girls were injured by the explosion, as were Walter, his wife Effie and son Walter, Jr. The navigator mistakenly pulled the emergency release pin which resulted in the bomb falling out of the plane. It was built to blow up Reds behind the Iron Curtain. The unarmed 7,600-lb., 10'8"-long bomb was aboard a B-47E bomber on a training mission headed for England. In 1958, in the midst of the Cold War, the U.S. Air Force accidentally dropped an atomic bomb near here. On that day, a B- 47E, manned by USAF Captains Koehler,Woodruff, and Kulka was ascending across the area on its way to England, carrying an A- Bomb. ft. single-family home is a bed, bath property. Robert Landsburg used his own body to preserve the photographs he had taken of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. This home was built in and last sold on for. The bomb, which lacked the fissile nuclear core, fell over the area causing minor structural damage to buildings below. Six people were injured by the explosion of the bomb's conventional explosive load. This article uses material from the Wikipedia article. American B-47 accidentally drops nuclear bomb 15,000 ft on a family home in Mars Bluff, South Carolina; creates crater 75 ft across, bomb without its nuclear capsule Charles Van Doren finally loses on US TV game show "Twenty-One" after winning $129,000 - later revealed to be fixed The fragments [from the atomic bomb accidentally dropped on Mars Bluff] are now displayed in the Florence Museum in the City of Florence. The aircraft was carrying nuclear weapons on board in the event of war with the Soviet Union breaking out. Mars Bluff is an unincorporated community in Florence County, South Carolina, United States that bears the distinction of having been inadvertently bombed with a nuclear weapon by the United States Air Force. ↑ Reynolds, William (2012). The blast completely destroyed his vegetable garden and the playhouse of … He also said that some visitors still mistakenly believe that the evil-looking water in the hole is radioactive. "1958 Mars Bluff B-47 nuclear weapon loss incident", Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Steven hopes that the owner will some day sell the crater so that it can become either a county or state park. The blast was so powerful it cracked windows and walls in the small community of Mars Bluff, about 5 miles (8 kilometers) away from the family farm. Crater Rd/4776 Lucius Circle, Mars Bluff, SC, tourist attractions and odd sights in South Carolina, Anatomically Complete Angels Playing Musical Instruments. Without a fissile warhead, its conventional explosives destroy a … Although the bomb was not armed with the trigger (a removable capsule of fissionable material which was securely stored in a containment area on board the plane), it nevertheless contained a high-explosive detonator. A canopied kiosk displays copies of local newspaper stories from 1958. The atomic part didn't explode. That's probably for the best, since the site remains on private property. Two sisters, six-year-old Helen and nine-year-old Frances Gregg, along with their nine-year-old cousin Ella Davies, were playing 200 yards (180 m) from a playhouse in the woods that had been built for them by their father Walter Gregg, who had served as a paratrooper during World War II. Air Force Captain Bruce Kulka, who was the navigator and bombardier, was summoned to the bomb bay area after the captain of the aircraft, Captain Earl Koehler, had encountered a fault light in the cockpit indicating that the bomb harness locking pin did not engage. 924 people were killed in what was initially thought to be a group suicide but was later ruled a mass murder. Geographic Names Information System. A pair of fascinating of newsreel clips from 1958. FITCHBURG SENTINEL, Massachusetts, March 12, 1958 * Mars Bluff SC South Carolina * B-47 Stratojet Atomic Bomb mishap (1st report) Near the bottom of the front page is a two column heading: "Unarmed Atomic Bomb Drops Accidentally In S.C.; 6 Hurt" 1st report coverage on the B-47 Stratojet mishap over Mars Bluff, South Carolina. On March 11, 1958, a U.S. Air Force Boeing B-47E-LM Stratojet from Hunter Air Force Base operated by the 375th Bombardment Squadron of the 308th Bombardment Wing near Savannah, Georgia, took off at approximately 4:34 PM and was scheduled to fly to the United Kingdom and then to North Africa as part of Operation Snow Flurry. Seven nearby buildings were damaged. All rights reserved. Retrieved November 12, 2013. We spoke with Steven C. Smith, co-chair of the 50th anniversary event and the man who hacked out the path. Sixty years ago, on March 11, 1958, an Air Force bomber dropped a nuclear weapon on a farm in the rural Mars Bluff community outside Florence. Mars Bluff, South Carolina Last updated April 23, 2019. These March 11, 1958, Mars Bluff Incident photos were released back in 2012 due to a Freedom of Information Act request by Carlton Purvis. Fragments of Atomic Bomb dropped on Mars Bluff. Fifty years of vegetation has reduced the formerly impressive pit to a leafy depression in the woods, filled with water when it rains, maybe 40 feet across. ", Because the property remains in private hands, yet is federally protected, no improvements beyond what already exists can be made to the site. The radioactive payload either wasn’t loaded in … There was no radiation (the core was still secured aboard the jet) and, amazingly, the only fatalities were a few chickens. The 1958 Mars Bluff B-47 nuclear weapon loss incident was the inadvertent release of a nuclear weapon from a United States Air Force B-47 bomber over Mars Bluff, South Carolina, in 1958.The bomb, which lacked the fissile nuclear core, fell over the area, causing damage to buildings below. Other news, sports and advertisements of the day. "It sure could be. The bomb was a 26-kiloton Mark 6, a more powerful version of the Fat Man dropped on Nagasaki. 1958 Mars Bluff, SC B-47 nuclear weapon loss incident Sign in to follow this . In this video I take you to the site of the Atomic bomb crater in Mars Bluff SC. Mars Bluff, South Carolina; Unincorporated community: Mars Bluff. It was an atomic bomb, and on March 11, 1958 it created the only tourist-accessible site in the U.S. accidentally cratered by a nuclear weapon. Attraction status, hours and prices change without notice; call ahead! It was built to blow up Reds behind the Iron Curtain. Browse data on the 109 recent real estate transactions in Mars Bluff SC. Credits, Media/Business Inquiries The 1958 Mars Bluff B-47 nuclear weapon loss incident was an inadvertent nuclear weapon release over Mars Bluff, South Carolina, during 1958. It was an atomic bomb, and on March 11, 1958 it created the only tourist-accessible site in the U.S. accidentally cratered by a nuclear weapon. © Copyright 1996-2021 Doug Kirby, Ken Smith, Mike Wilkins. An employee suffered an electric shock from a drinks machine and another was electrocuted when he tried to help. 16009 Old Mars Bluff Rd , Florence, SC 29506-2911 is currently not for sale. The property passed through several owners afterward, but none bothered to fill in the hole. This accidental drop happened on March 11, 1958. Trip Planning Caution: RoadsideAmerica.com offers maps, directions and attraction details as a convenience, providing all information as is. It just so happened that this event took place right in Florence’s backyard. The resultin… Oct 27, 2012 - March 11, 1958 – A U.S. B-47 bomber accidentally drops an atom bomb on Mars Bluff, South Carolina. The almost-atomic hell-hole is only a few hundred yards from US 301, but it's difficult to find. It mistakenly fell out of a B-47 jet, dropping 15,000 feet into the back yard of Walter Gregg and his family. As Kulka reached around the bomb to pull himself up, he mistakenly grabbed the emergency release pin. In a nearby clearing is a large plywood cutout of a bomb -- the actual size of the massive Mark 6 -- pointed nose-down to the ground. ↑ "Dixie Historical Society: Mars Bluff and the CSS Pee Dee". The bomb was a 26-kiloton Mark 6, a more powerful version of the Fat Man dropped on Nagasaki. Mars Bluff. This TNT caused a massive explosion and injuries, the narrator stresses there was no radiation. Instead, it blew a hole in rural Mars Bluff, South Carolina. After spending more than £130,000 investigating, they concluded there was no such killer. In 1958 the United States Air Force inadvertently dropped an atomic bomb over the tiny South Carolina town of Mars Bluff. View more property details, sales history and Zestimate data on Zillow. The 1958 Mars Bluff B-47 nuclear weapon loss incident was an inadvertent nuclear weapon release over Mars Bluff, South Carolina during 1958. By cutiger83, February 8, … The United States Air Force (USAF) was sued by the family of the victims, who received US$54,000, equivalent to $468,934 in 2018. In 1921, a white mob marched on one of the richest Black communities in the USA, burning much of it to the ground. Mars Bluff, South Carolina. The bomb, which lacked the fissile nuclear core, fell over the area, causing damage to buildings below. No matter how well-intentioned, visitors are technically trespassers, and legally need permission to walk to the hole. [Lloyd Mitchell, 09/10/2007] A dead lemur was also found in a freezer, a court heard this week. Andrew Pickens: South Carolina patriot in the Revolutionary War. It remained an obscure destination until the accident's 50th anniversary, when exhibits were set up at the crater and a state historical marker was erected by the highway (that actually took until the 51st anniversary). The incident made national and international headlines. Hot Dog Muffler Man, Atlanta, Illinois (Jan 25-31, 2021). RoadsideAmerica.comYour Online Guide to Offbeat Tourist Attractions. Fortunately, the fissile nuclear core was stored elsewhere on the aircraft. Six people were injured by the explosion of the bomb's conventional explosive load. United States Geological Survey. A tiny observation deck stands at its edge, a safe spot for shutterbugs. On March 11, 1958 a U.S. Air Force B-47 Stratojet with a nuclear payload left for nuclear training exercises for war preparations in the United Kingdom and South Africa. Followers 1. One thing that I did not know, but TNT is used to trigger the explosion. MARS BLUFF, SC (WBTW) – A 7,000-pound atomic bomb accidentally fell from a U.S. Air Force plane sixty years ago on March 11, 1958, in the Mars Bluff area of … No portion of this document may be reproduced, copied or revised without written permission of the authors. The … Hotels near Mars Bluff Atomic Bomb Impact Crater: (6.38 mi) Hotel Florence (8.72 mi) Hampton Inn & Suites Florence-North/I-95 (8.78 mi) Comfort Suites Florence I-95 (8.66 mi) Howard Johnson by Wyndham Florence (8.60 mi) Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Florence, SC; View all hotels near Mars Bluff Atomic Bomb Impact Crater on Tripadvisor Instead, it blew a hole in rural Mars Bluff, South Carolina. The story behind the Mars Bluff bombing is one of the most fascinating events to ever happen in our nation during the 20th century. At 3:53 on Tuesday, March 11, 1958, a group of four B-47E planes took off from Hunter Air Force Base in Savannah Georgia in route to England. "It's the ashes that make the water look terrible. This is a national treasure!". Jun 6, 2012 - In 1958 an atom bomb fell out of a plane and blew a crater into the gummy soil of Mars Bluff, South Carolina. Start here.Use RoadsideAmerica.com's Attraction Maps to plan your next road trip. The Mark 6 nuclear bomb dropped to the bomb bay doors of the B-47 and the weight forced the doors open, sending the bomb 15,000 ft (4,600 m) down to the ground below. In 1958, the Air Force accidentally dropped a Mark 6 nuclear bomb over Mars Bluff, South Carolina. The crater is still present today, although overgrown by vegetation, and is marked by a historical marker; however, access to the site is limited because it is located on private property with no public access road. The sq. Stories, reports and tips on tourist attractions and odd sights in South Carolina. The 1958 Mars Bluff B-47 nuclear weapon loss incident was an inadvertent nuclear weapon release over Mars Bluff, South Carolina, during 1958. Buy MARS BLUFF SC South Carolina ATOMIC Bomb U.S. Air Force Incident 1958 Newspaper: Historical & Political - Amazon.com FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases Though the bomb's atomic capabilities were deactivated, its conventional payload wasn't, and recently released photos from the investigation give some scale to how massive the damage was - and how much, much worse it could have been. The playhouse was struck by the bomb. While the nuclear core was not armed, the conventional explosives detonated when the bomb landed on the property of Walter Gregg. Bomb fragments flew all over the place. Sixty years ago, on March 11, 1958, an Air Force bomber dropped a nuclear weapon on a farm in the rural Mars Bluff community outside Florence. He said that there used to be "atomic bomb crater" directional signs, but that most have been stolen -- he guessed by students at a nearby college. A long-distance bomber similar to this B-47 Stratojet dropped a bomb on a South Carolina farm in 1958. "When the crater was dry, it was used as a burn pit for logs and stumps," he said. Strange and amusing destinations in the US and Canada are our specialty. An overgrown path leads from an abandoned trailer park into a pine thicket, past the foundation of the Gregg house, to the crater. The first one is about an unassembled nuclear bomb that dropped from a bomber and on to a house in South Carolina. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6694-8. "I don't know why it was never turned into a real tourist attraction," he said. On the aircraft need permission to walk to the site of the bomb 's conventional load! So happened that this event took place right in Florence ’ s backyard I. 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