The Damaged Arrow Incident: A Chapter in the U.S. Navy's Nuclear Accident

On 5 December 1965, the large American plane service Ticonderoga was heading to Japan for relaxation and recreation for its 3,000 crew, following a month on ‘Yankee Station’ launching missions towards targets in Vietnam.

Tico's primary objective was not merely averting traditional battles or engaging in regular warfare but rather preparing for nuclear combat during the Cold War with the Communist bloc. The voyage from the Yankee Station to Japan served as a crucial chapter in practicing protocols for potential nuclear conflict.

In 1965, Douglas Webster, a young pilot from Ohio with seventeen flight missions under his belt, found himself in a harrowing situation. During a routine weapons loading drill and simulated mission, a mishap occurred, causing his A-4 Skyhawk bomber to plummet to the depths of the South China Sea, carrying a live B43 one-megaton thermonuclear bomb. This tragic chapter of Douglas's story serves as a stark reminder of the dangers that come with handling nuclear weapons in the field.

A covert mission, code-named "Damaged Arrow," unfolded as the crew faced whispers of sabotage, a malfunctioning weapon, and a rogue pilot. The Pentagon kept the incident shrouded in secrecy for 25 years, only to have the truth unveiled through recently discovered documents. These revelations triggered a diplomatic crisis, exposing a breach of agreements barring the U.S. from bringing nuclear weapons into Japan. It wasn't until researchers unearthed archived papers that the public learned the true proximity of the vessel to land, hundreds of miles closer than the official account.

Damaged Arrow tells the story of Ticonderoga’s sailors and airmen, the hazards of fight missions and shipboard life, and the accident that threatened to wipe her off the map and blow US-Japanese relations aside. For the primary time, by beforehand categorised paperwork, by no means earlier than revealed photographs of the accident plane and the recollections of those that have been there, the story of service aviation’s solely ‘Damaged Arrow’ is instructed in full.

Desk of Contents

Chapter One: Eve of Destruction
Chapter Two: Warren, Ohio
Chapter Three: The Champions
Chapter 4: The Massive T
Chapter 5: Shore Depart
Chapter Six: Yankee Station
Chapter Seven: Overboard
Chapter Eight: Cowl-up
Chapter 9: Hope and Tragedy
Chapter 10: Accident #28

From the Writer

Chilly Struggle
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Nuclear Risk
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Navy Historical past
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Espionage & Particular Forces

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Protection Research

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