There’s a Nuclear Warhead Trapped Somewhere Under Greenland’s Ice

Seemingly forgotten to history, a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber with four hydrogen bombs on board crashed in Greenland, located 750 north of the Arctic Circle.
There’s a Nuclear Warhead Trapped Somewhere Under Greenland’s Ice
A photo of a plane landing shows NASA's P-3B aircraft at Thule Air Base in Greenland. NASA
Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
|Updated:

Seemingly forgotten to history, a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber with four hydrogen bombs on board crashed in Greenland, located 750 north of the Arctic Circle.

The plane went down in January 1968 near Thule Air Base after a cabin fire forced the crew to abandon the plane. Six crew members were able to eject out of the plane but one died.

Three of the four bombs were accounted for and were the subject of a lengthy cleanup effort, involving both U.S. and Danish officials. None of the bombs actually went off as they weren’t armed by the crew.

The BBC reported several years ago that the fourth nuclear warhead was abandoned in the ice after a massive operation to recover the debris resulted in the collection of 500 million gallons of ice--some of which had radioactive materials from the bombs.

The location of the Thule Air Base in Greenland (Google Maps)
The location of the Thule Air Base in Greenland Google Maps
Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter who covers a range of topics, including politics, U.S., and health news. A father of two, Jack grew up in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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