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The Day We Lost the H-Bomb: Cold War, Hot Nukes, and the Worst Nuclear Weapons Disaster in History
In The Day We Lost the H-Bomb, science writer Barbara Moran marshals a wealth of new information and recently declassified material to give the definitive account of the Cold War’s biggest nuclear weapons disaster. On January 17, 1966, a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber exploded over the sleepy Spanish farming village of Palomares during a routine airborne refueling. The explosion killed seven airmen and scattered the bomber’s payload–four unarmed thermonuclear bombs–across miles of coastline. Three of the rogue H-bombs were recovered quickly. Tracking down the fourth required the largest search-and-salvage operation in U.S. military history.
Moran traces the roots of the Palomares incident, giving a brief yet in-depth history of the Strategic Air Command and its eccentric, larger-than-life commander, General Curtis LeMay, whose massive deterrence strategy kept armed U.S. bombers aloft at all times. Back on the ground, Moran recounts the myriad social and environmental effects of an accident that spread radioactive debris over hundreds of acres of Spanish farmland, alarmed America’s strategic allies, and damaged Spanish-American diplomatic relations.
As the American military floundered in its attempt to keep the story secret, the events in Spain sometimes took on farcical overtones. Constant global media hype was fueled by the hit James Bond movie Thunderball, with its plot about an atomic weapon lost at sea. In addition, there were the unwanted attentions of a rusty- hulled Soviet surveillance ship and even awkward public relations stunts, complete with American diplomats in swim trunks.
The Day We Lost the H-Bomb is a singular work of military history that effortlessly and dramatically captures Cold War hysteria, high-stakes negotiations, and the race to clean up a disaster of unprecedented scope. At once epic and intimate, this book recounts in stunning detail the fragile peace Americans had made with nuclear weapons–and how the specter of imminent doom forced the United States to consider not only what had happened over Palomares but what could have happened. This forgotten chapter of Cold War history will grip readers with the tension of that time and reawaken the fears and hopes of that dangerous era.
Moran traces the roots of the Palomares incident, giving a brief yet in-depth history of the Strategic Air Command and its eccentric, larger-than-life commander, General Curtis LeMay, whose massive deterrence strategy kept armed U.S. bombers aloft at all times. Back on the ground, Moran recounts the myriad social and environmental effects of an accident that spread radioactive debris over hundreds of acres of Spanish farmland, alarmed America’s strategic allies, and damaged Spanish-American diplomatic relations.
As the American military floundered in its attempt to keep the story secret, the events in Spain sometimes took on farcical overtones. Constant global media hype was fueled by the hit James Bond movie Thunderball, with its plot about an atomic weapon lost at sea. In addition, there were the unwanted attentions of a rusty- hulled Soviet surveillance ship and even awkward public relations stunts, complete with American diplomats in swim trunks.
The Day We Lost the H-Bomb is a singular work of military history that effortlessly and dramatically captures Cold War hysteria, high-stakes negotiations, and the race to clean up a disaster of unprecedented scope. At once epic and intimate, this book recounts in stunning detail the fragile peace Americans had made with nuclear weapons–and how the specter of imminent doom forced the United States to consider not only what had happened over Palomares but what could have happened. This forgotten chapter of Cold War history will grip readers with the tension of that time and reawaken the fears and hopes of that dangerous era.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published April 28, 2009
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232 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 27, 2022
Bust.
I have found numerous historical errors within the first twenty pages. Most glaring of which was getting the dates wrong for the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan. I cannot in good faith continue reading.
I have found numerous historical errors within the first twenty pages. Most glaring of which was getting the dates wrong for the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan. I cannot in good faith continue reading.
September 3, 2009
In July 1961 the U.S. Strategic Air Command (SAC) began its “Airborne Alert” program under which a dozen B-52 bombers were to be kept in the air at all times, with each plane carrying several thermonuclear bombs. Already difficult to fly, these bulky planes were overloaded by their nuclear payload and required meticulous piloting and multiple mid-air refuelings—a dangerous operation even under the best conditions—while traversing the usual flight plan from the U.S., over Europe, skirting Soviet territory, and then returning home again. To understand the risks undertaken by the U.S. in the name of nuclear security is to understand the intense paranoia (or utter insanity) of this period of the Cold War.
On Jan 17, 1966, an SAC B-52 exploded during a refueling accident, spilling its cargo of four armed but deactivated bombs over Palomares, Spain. Three of the bombs crashed down in the dry farming land around Palomares, scattering plutonium and radioactive debris, and the fourth plunked down in the Mediterranean. Of the disaster scenarios planned for by the U.S. military, this was very nearly the worst-case scenario. Even so, Palomares isn’t widely remembered today. Wading through recently declassified documents, Barbara Moran explores how the U.S. contained the aftermath of the disaster.
According to Moran, the U.S. was very lucky in Palomares, even if the outcome for the residents of Palomares was somewhat less decidedly rosy. A nuclear weapon is a delicate piece of technology, and it’s fairly easy to destroy the device without setting off a nuclear detonation. Radioactive contamination is the greatest danger, and so it was fortunate that the bombs landed in a rural, sparsely-populated area. Spain was then under the leadership of Francisco Franco. Accustomed perhaps to living under a dictatorship, Palomares’ farmers didn’t ask too many questions, and frankly, there wasn’t much to tell; the dangers of plutonium weren’t well understood at the time. Much of the lower-level contamination was simply watered-down and plowed under. The fourth bomb had fallen harmlessly into the sea, requiring a lengthy search and, conveniently, distracting attention from the bombs that had made landfall.
In 1968, after a series of ever more costly and embarrassing nuclear accidents, Airborne Alert was finally canceled. But the SAC’s blunders didn’t end there. For one of the most egregious errors, flash forward fifteen years. In the early 1980s, the SAC placed the country's entire ICBM arsenal under control of a single computer system—a lonely computer, actually, who wanted nothing more than to play a friendly game of chess. Is it any wonder that the SAC was disbanded in 1992?
On Jan 17, 1966, an SAC B-52 exploded during a refueling accident, spilling its cargo of four armed but deactivated bombs over Palomares, Spain. Three of the bombs crashed down in the dry farming land around Palomares, scattering plutonium and radioactive debris, and the fourth plunked down in the Mediterranean. Of the disaster scenarios planned for by the U.S. military, this was very nearly the worst-case scenario. Even so, Palomares isn’t widely remembered today. Wading through recently declassified documents, Barbara Moran explores how the U.S. contained the aftermath of the disaster.
According to Moran, the U.S. was very lucky in Palomares, even if the outcome for the residents of Palomares was somewhat less decidedly rosy. A nuclear weapon is a delicate piece of technology, and it’s fairly easy to destroy the device without setting off a nuclear detonation. Radioactive contamination is the greatest danger, and so it was fortunate that the bombs landed in a rural, sparsely-populated area. Spain was then under the leadership of Francisco Franco. Accustomed perhaps to living under a dictatorship, Palomares’ farmers didn’t ask too many questions, and frankly, there wasn’t much to tell; the dangers of plutonium weren’t well understood at the time. Much of the lower-level contamination was simply watered-down and plowed under. The fourth bomb had fallen harmlessly into the sea, requiring a lengthy search and, conveniently, distracting attention from the bombs that had made landfall.
In 1968, after a series of ever more costly and embarrassing nuclear accidents, Airborne Alert was finally canceled. But the SAC’s blunders didn’t end there. For one of the most egregious errors, flash forward fifteen years. In the early 1980s, the SAC placed the country's entire ICBM arsenal under control of a single computer system—a lonely computer, actually, who wanted nothing more than to play a friendly game of chess. Is it any wonder that the SAC was disbanded in 1992?
April 6, 2012
During much of the Cold War, the United States Strategic Air Command (SAC) constantly maintained nuclear laden bombers near Soviet airspace as a form of deterrence. On January 17, 1966, one of SAC’s B-52s rendezvoused with a KC-135 tanker over Palomares, Spain to conduct a final mid-air refueling before returning home. An accident occurred during the refueling and both aircraft collided. In the debris that rained down on the Mediterranean coast were chunks of burning aircraft, chuffing jet fuel, parachuting aircrew, and four nuclear bombs.
Barbara Moran describes this accident vividly in The Day We Lost the H-Bomb. She then delves into the exhaustive efforts recover the weapons and rid the town of any deadly radiation. Fortunately, the first three bombs were discovered in Palomares within days. Based on the accounts of Spanish fishermen who witnesses the accident, it was determined that the fourth bomb plunged into the Med, miles offshore.
Much of Moran’s book follows the efforts of Navy Divers, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technicians, and mini-subs like Alvin and Aluminaut, to find and recover the fourth bomb. Her account includes intimate details of many of the key players that she obtained through exhaustive research and interviews. Navy veterans especially will be able to identify with men like Admiral Guest, the Task Force Commander; Commander Red Moody, the EOD Officer in Charge; and Mac McCamis, the irascible Alvin pilot.
Moran’s writing flows very comfortably, drawing the reader into the story and then keeping them engaged with both politics and recovery operations. This books is a must read for those interested in Cold War history, diving, salvage, EOD, and mini-sub operations.
Barbara Moran describes this accident vividly in The Day We Lost the H-Bomb. She then delves into the exhaustive efforts recover the weapons and rid the town of any deadly radiation. Fortunately, the first three bombs were discovered in Palomares within days. Based on the accounts of Spanish fishermen who witnesses the accident, it was determined that the fourth bomb plunged into the Med, miles offshore.
Much of Moran’s book follows the efforts of Navy Divers, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technicians, and mini-subs like Alvin and Aluminaut, to find and recover the fourth bomb. Her account includes intimate details of many of the key players that she obtained through exhaustive research and interviews. Navy veterans especially will be able to identify with men like Admiral Guest, the Task Force Commander; Commander Red Moody, the EOD Officer in Charge; and Mac McCamis, the irascible Alvin pilot.
Moran’s writing flows very comfortably, drawing the reader into the story and then keeping them engaged with both politics and recovery operations. This books is a must read for those interested in Cold War history, diving, salvage, EOD, and mini-sub operations.
March 9, 2023
An engaging book and a fascinating story with just enough background to give it a more rounded historical perspective. My reading of it would've been a lot more enjoyable had it not been so poorly fact-checked, if at all. From the wrong Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombing dates, to inaccurate scientific statements, to misattributing a 1957/9 Charlton Ogburn Jr. quote to Petronius (wrong by close to 2000 years), these glaring errors made an otherwise gripping story a deflating experience.
October 22, 2020
I saw this book in my local library and at first hesitated to pick it up, wondering if this was going to be some sort of political propaganda or goofball conspiracy theory. But upon reading a little, I was glad I picked it up, because it was definitely neither-just a thoroughly researched account of what happened in 1966 when a B-52 jet carrying four hydrogen bombs collided with a Stratocaster refueling jet, causing four hydrogen bombs to fall on Palomares, Spain, fortunately without detonating, or even harming people on the ground. But even then, there were still repercussions.
This happened during the Cold War, when the USA kept a series of B-52 bombers in constant flight carrying hydrogen bombs, fearing a possible Soviet attack. This was a program started by General Curtis LeMay, a hard WW2 general who felt it necessary in the 1950's to set up this program, in the era before intercontinental missiles existed. It had worked for decades with only a couple of accidents, and this was the first time it happened over another country. Though all four bombs, though damaged, were all recovered, it was a nightmare to do so given the then-primitive undersea equipment of the era, as one bomb possibly fell into the Mediterranean (which was the case). The worst catastrophe was avoided, but it still caused great international trouble between the USA and the rest of the world.
The book goes into depth on every aspect of this incident, both technological and political, without overexplaining or getting bogged down in technobabble, and explains how the political situation of the era was like, with harsh Francisco Franco still ruling Spain. A commendable work.
This happened during the Cold War, when the USA kept a series of B-52 bombers in constant flight carrying hydrogen bombs, fearing a possible Soviet attack. This was a program started by General Curtis LeMay, a hard WW2 general who felt it necessary in the 1950's to set up this program, in the era before intercontinental missiles existed. It had worked for decades with only a couple of accidents, and this was the first time it happened over another country. Though all four bombs, though damaged, were all recovered, it was a nightmare to do so given the then-primitive undersea equipment of the era, as one bomb possibly fell into the Mediterranean (which was the case). The worst catastrophe was avoided, but it still caused great international trouble between the USA and the rest of the world.
The book goes into depth on every aspect of this incident, both technological and political, without overexplaining or getting bogged down in technobabble, and explains how the political situation of the era was like, with harsh Francisco Franco still ruling Spain. A commendable work.
November 13, 2025
I decided to read this book after coming across a certificate presented to my grandfather for his “outstanding performance during Project Recovery at Los Palomares, Spain, 1966”. My grandfather died when I was 9, and like many veterans, he never really talked to the family about his time in the service.
This book was very thorough, sometimes more thorough than I was ready for (I admittedly skimmed the parts about how the bomb came to be designed), but it made me feel more informed about the efforts involved in the project. While I still have questions about why he specifically was there or the role he played, I now know how impressive the recovery effort was.
This book was very thorough, sometimes more thorough than I was ready for (I admittedly skimmed the parts about how the bomb came to be designed), but it made me feel more informed about the efforts involved in the project. While I still have questions about why he specifically was there or the role he played, I now know how impressive the recovery effort was.
March 29, 2018
The Day We Lost the H-Bomb is a scary read. It had never dawned on me how many nuclear weapons have been lost, damaged or nearly set off. Barbara Moran did an excellent job of gathering all the facts about these major incidents. She took a deep dive into the Palomares incident in Spain and the B57 crash off the west coast. It is frightening to think how many incidents have occurred and the implications of so much failure. This is a well written work and Barbara did an excellent job of presenting the facts. I have recommended this work to several friends.
May 9, 2016
I suspect a large proportion of people who know about Cold War history are at least aware of this incident, but Ms. Moran's work sheds a lot more light on the details. What's more, she does it in a way that also makes it accessible to readers who AREN'T quite as familiar with the event's historical context in such a way that doesn't bog the story-telling down. Military/Cold War history buffs won't find anything they don't know in the background history of the Strategic Air Command, for example, but the narrative flows nicely (and, in my opinion, makes for a necessary scene-setter for other readers). The entire work appears to be diligently researched (with an extensive bibliography and painstaking notes at the end), yet has a story-teller's feel. The author does a nice job of making the various personalities, particularly the US Ambassador to Spain and the admiral in charge of the recovery effort, come alive along with the then-sleepy village of Palomares, Spain. It's a relatively quick read, with the aforementioned bibliography and notes taking up the last third or more. All in all a well-crafted and educational look at a fascinating and frightening incident in the Cold War.
December 30, 2009
Terrific history of an incident in 1966 when a routine (!) air flight over Europe resulted in an accident, dropping four nuclear bombs near the coast of Spain (!). Sounds like military history but it reads more like a well contextualized social history of the Cold War. The conflict is not so much with the Soviets as between branches of the US military, between the military's reflexive secrecy and sensationalizing journalists, and between the people "on the ground" and the institutions that are directing them.
Lots of characters are sketched out quickly and memorably, the situations and motivations of all the institutions are explained. Well documented with endnotes, the story touches on Curtis LeMay, Alvin the submersible that explored the Titanic, James Bond's Thunderball, LBJ, and a wonderful old school diplomat named Angie Duke.
Well worth reading and highly recommended.
Lots of characters are sketched out quickly and memorably, the situations and motivations of all the institutions are explained. Well documented with endnotes, the story touches on Curtis LeMay, Alvin the submersible that explored the Titanic, James Bond's Thunderball, LBJ, and a wonderful old school diplomat named Angie Duke.
Well worth reading and highly recommended.
October 28, 2013
It's got everything - a plane crash, a missing hydrogen bomb, submarines, Bayesian search theory, diplomatic PR stunts and Cold War political chicanery, and a bumper crop of tomatoes that the US Air Force swore was not radioactive. And it's all completely true, which is a little terrifying.
I liked it, though. One of those books that has enough compelling narrative to keep you engrossed, and enough historical detail that you keep jumping on to Wikipedia to look things up. The drier historical detail is balanced with humour and humanity, and the narrative conveys both the daunting scale of the salvage operation (at one point described as "finding a needle in a hayfield") and the complex political backdrop against which the story plays out.
Oh, and like most history books, the last 45% is appendices and bibliography so it's much shorter than it looks :)
I liked it, though. One of those books that has enough compelling narrative to keep you engrossed, and enough historical detail that you keep jumping on to Wikipedia to look things up. The drier historical detail is balanced with humour and humanity, and the narrative conveys both the daunting scale of the salvage operation (at one point described as "finding a needle in a hayfield") and the complex political backdrop against which the story plays out.
Oh, and like most history books, the last 45% is appendices and bibliography so it's much shorter than it looks :)
July 16, 2009
In January 1966, we (the U.S. air force) lost four hydrogen bombs over the southeast coast of Spain. Three fell over land and were quickly recovered, but one fell into the ocean, and we had a lot of trouble finding it and pulling it out. This book follows the story from start to finish, with some short detours into the history of the Strategic Air Command in charge of flying these bombs around in the first place. It's a pretty interesting story about the largest, most expensive sea salvage operation in history. Moran remains pretty neutral on the subject of nuclear weapons and the programs that controlled them, sticking to the facts and the people involved in this particular incident.
April 22, 2013
I enjoyed this book and felt that it gave a good overview of what happened, was well researched and delved into some of the sidelines to help explain why some things were approached the way they were. It provided a good introduction to the SAC which helped to explain why the 24 hour bomber flights were instituted, explored the search for the bombs following the accident and then the ensuing naval recovery exercise and all the compliactions associated with that.
A good overview with references back to the cold war environmnet that it all happened in, whilst not a page turner it was still interesting.
A good overview with references back to the cold war environmnet that it all happened in, whilst not a page turner it was still interesting.
December 4, 2012
Interesting window in to the cold war. The idea of keeping bombers in the air at all times as a deterrent, seems unbelievable in todays world. This book seemed to plod along at times with names and facts that seemed unimportant most of the time. It reads like a doctoral thesis instead of a play by play. I realize that the subject is cut and dry, but at least add some drama to it. I would recommend to students of the cold war.
November 30, 2009
This book is an incredibly thorough and exhaustively researched account of the loss of four nuclear warheads in an air accident over Spain in 1966. It was the first of two such accidents before the U.S. Strategic Air Command was ordered by the Secretary of Defense to stop carrying armed nuclear weapons.
July 15, 2009
Fair, but left many questions.
January 5, 2010
If you're looking for a fascinating read, this is it!
July 30, 2010
Very quick read that recounts when the U.S. lost a nuclear weapon in mediterranean in 1966. Great detail, engaging writing.
April 2, 2012
A really good, focused, piece of research on an interesting time in America's nuclear history.
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November 16, 2013not really my type of book, but it was quite interesting
February 4, 2016
Interesting, some tech parts were too detailed and as a result become boring
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews