The real role of the Spanish Air Force in the Palomares incident

Authors

  • José Herrera Plaza Investigador independiente

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53351/ruhm.v12i25.867

Keywords:

Nuclear accidents, Spain-US relations, Nuclear weapons, Plutonium contamination, Palomares incident

Abstract

The Palomares incident (Almeria, January 17, 1966), which occurred in the middle of the Cold War, was caused by the collision of a US B-52 bomber with its tanker while refuelling. The four MK28-FI thermonuclear bombs it was carrying fell next to the wreckage of both aircrafts. Each had a power of mass destruction seventy times greater than the one that fell on Hiroshima. Two of them released most of their plutonium-based radioactive fuel. More than 629 hectares were contaminated due to high winds. The search for another one by land and sea, the collection of 125 tons of debris and the decontamination work involved the arrival of about 1600 US Air Force (USAF) and 3400 navy personnel in one of the poorest and most poorly communicated provinces of the country within the span of almost three months.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role played by the Spanish Air Force immediately after the event. It mobilized and put its material resources at the disposal of the 16th US Air Force thanks to its infrastructure and logistical capacity. It also exercised control and institutional representation at the scene of the events, collaborating in the radiological characterization and decontamination process, as well as the intermediation and defence of those affected via the processing of compensation claims. The rejection by the markets of any food products from the affected area prompted an urgent search for solutions. The real scope of its intervention was eclipsed by the spectacular nature of the events and neglected by the official history of both countries. Current historiography describes this intervention as little more than an act of support to the country responsible for the incident.

            The declassification of unpublished Spanish documents held by the Spanish Air Force (EMA), together with the archive of the former Nuclear Energy Board (JEN), allows us to evaluate in detail the key role that the Spanish Air Force played in the early relief of the wounded, the rapid deployment of USAF troops or the support to the members of the Nuclear Energy Board. To do so, it suffices to consult the deciphered Spanish and American teletypes, telephonemes, handwritten notes, and unpublished reports recently made public.

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Author Biography

  • José Herrera Plaza, Investigador independiente

    Investigador independiente

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Published

2024-01-24

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 25 (2023): Mujeres en guerras, perspectivas discursivas

Section

Estudios

License

Copyright (c) 2024 José Herrera Plaza

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How to Cite

The real role of the Spanish Air Force in the Palomares incident. (2024). Revista Universitaria De Historia Militar, 12(25), 241-266. https://doi.org/10.53351/ruhm.v12i25.867

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