Mars Bluff Atomic Bomb Accident (1958)
Florence County, Florence County, South Carolina
Marker Inscription
Atomic Bomb Accident at Mars Bluff, March 11, 1958 In 1958, in the midst of the Cold War, the U.S. Air Force accidentally dropped an atomic bomb near here. The unarmed 7,600-lb., 10'8"-long bomb was aboard a B-47E bomber on a training mission headed for England. Its high-explosive trigger detonated on impact, making a crater as large as 35 feet deep and 70 feet wide. The bomb landed in the woods behind the asbestos-shingle sided home of railroad conductor Walter “Bill” Gregg (b.1921). Gregg, his wife, their three children, and a niece were injured by the concussion, which destroyed the house and out-buildings and did slight damage to buildings within a 5-mile radius.
Erected by Florence City and County Historical Commission
The Story
At the height of Cold War tension in March 1958, a B-47 bomber on a training flight bound for England accidentally released an atomic bomb over the South Carolina countryside near Mars Bluff. The weapon carried no nuclear core, but its conventional trigger charge detonated on impact, blasting a crater dozens of feet across and demolishing the farmstead of railroad conductor Walter Gregg. Gregg's family and a niece were injured by the concussion, and buildings for miles around were shaken.
Why it matters
It marks one of the era's most alarming 'broken arrow' incidents, a stark reminder of how close everyday American life sometimes came to nuclear catastrophe during the Cold War.
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Related people
- · Walter "Bill" Gregg
Related events
- · Mars Bluff B-47 atomic bomb accident, March 11, 1958
Themes & tags
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