“So we accidentally bombed our own country once..”
On March 11, 1958 a U.S. Air Force B-47 Stratojet from the Hunter Air Force Base's 308th Bombardment Wing in Savannah, Georgia took off around 4:34 p.m. It was scheduled to fly to the United Kingdom for Operation Snow Flurry. The plane was required to carry nuclear weapons in the event of war with the Soviet Union breaking out. Air Force Captain Bruce Kulka was the navigator and was summoned to the bomb bay area after the captain of the plane had encountered a fault light in the cockpit indicating that the bomb harness locking pin for the transatlantic flight did not engage. As Kulka was reaching around the bomb to pull himself up, he mistakenly grabbed the emergency release pin. The Mark 6 bomb dropped to the floor of the B-47 and the weight forced the bomb bay doors open sending the bomb 15,000 feet (4,572 m) down to the ground below. Although the bomb did not contain the removable core of fissionable uranium and plutonium (the core was securely stored in a containment area on board the plane and thus the bomb was not technically a traditional "atomic" bomb per se.), it did contain 7,600 pounds of conventional explosives. The resulting explosion created a mushroom cloud and crater estimated to be 75 feet wide and 25–35 feet deep. It destroyed a local home, the residence of Walter Gregg, and leveled nearby trees. Nobody was directly killed from the blast but several people in Gregg's family were injured from the explosion. The crater still exists. It is marked by a historical marker and is accessible via a marked trail just off SC Highway 76 (East Palmetto Street). An informational board and mock up of the bomb's size are also at the site. se.), it did contain 7,600 pounds of conventional explosives.
Can't get into actual location. Only noted via a historical placard sign explaining event. Kind of scary area!
Well we stopped by! Local kid showed us where it was. Not a lot to look at but fun to stop by and see. If your in the area stop and check it out.
I haven't been there in a few years but we just drove in and walked to the crater. Some people might find it boring but I consider it a must see if in the area.
Totally concur with reviewer rose.rocca. Couldn't get to actual location, it appeared the roadway might be blocked off. Didn't bother to ask any locals for information, as it was a scary area. Got gasoline, lunched at Subway and got out of there.
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Mars Bluff
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