Barbara Moran: The Day We Lost the H-Bomb

24 (Duke).

178 Duke formed a committee:SAC Historical Study #109 , p. 336.

178 “The fourth and final weapon”:Cable, Embassy in Madrid to SEC-STATE, March 18, 1966, #1226 (LBJ).

178 On March 16, McCamis and Wilson:“‘Captain Hook’s’ Hunt,” p. 25; William O. Rainnie, “Alvin… and the Bomb,” Oceanus 12, no. 4 (August 1966), p. 19.

179Alvinby now had a mechanical arm:Allen, “Research Submarine Alvin,” p. 140.

180 On March 22, 1966, CBS News:“Special Report: Lost and Found, One H-Bomb,” CBS News, March 22, 1966.

181AlvinorAluminautcould carry:Red Moody interview, November 7, 2006; Brad Mooney, e-mail to author, September 17, 2008. Mooney pointed out another problem: the weight of the line should not be heavier than the positive buoyancy of the sub.

181 Working with two consultants:The description of POODL comes from author’s interview with Red Moody, November 7, 2006; D. H. Moody, “40th Anniversary of Palomares,” Faceplate 10, no. 2 (September 2006), p. 18; Aircraft Salvops Med , Final Report, vol. 4, appendix B, pp. 42–44; Aircraft Salvops Med , Interim Report, pp. 39, D59, D61. POODL was rebuilt several times during the bomb recovery effort, so it is difficult to determine its exact specifications at the time of the first recovery attempt. When there was a discrepancy in the records, author relied on Aircraft Salvops Med , Final Report, vol. 4, appendix B. The height of POODL (seven feet) comes from e-mail, Red Moody to author, September 17, 2008.

182 “Oh, my God”:Author’s interview with Malcolm MacKinnon, December 4, 2006.

182 “gypsy-engineered”:Red Moody interview, November 7, 2006.

182 That fear overshadowed everything:Aircraft Salvops Med , Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, p. 69 .

182 the captain of theMizar:Aircraft Salvops Med , Interim Report, pp. C12–C13.

182 it had carried a light line:Even this light polypropylene line, hand-tended from the surface, was a struggle for Alvin to carry down to the bottom. Aircraft Salvops Med , Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, p. 73; Memo, W.O. Rainnie to Office of Naval Research, “Quarterly Informal Letter,” June 10, 1966, p. 9; Rainnie, “How We Found the Missing H-Bomb,” Popular Mechanics , August 1966, p. 78. According to Red Moody (e-mail to author, September 17, 2008) the sub crews had never attempted such a risky maneuver before and were understandably reluctant to try.

182 the task force members tried another tactic:Aircraft Salvops Med , Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, p. 75.

182 That evening, Admiral Guest wrote:Ibid.

182 Art Markel thoughtAluminaut: Art Markel interview, September 25, 2006; Memo, Art Markel to office, “Tape 3,” recorded March 19, 1966 (SMV); Aircraft Salvops Med , Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, p. 76.

183 Markel was excited:For example: Memo, Art Markel to office, “Tape 4,” recorded March 20, 1966; Memo, Art Markel to office, “Tape 5,” recorded March 22, 1966; Memo, Art Markel to office, “Tape 6,” recorded March 23, 1966, all at SMV.

183 to share some ofAlvin’slimelight:Memo, Art Markel to office, “Tape 3,” recorded March 19, 1966 (SMV).

183 “It is quite apparent”:Letter, Art Markel to Carrie, March 28, 1966 (SMV).

183 Markel had half a mind:Letter, Art Markel to Carrie, April 6, 1966 (SMV).

183 On March 22, theLos Angeles Times: Robert C. Toth, “H-Bomb May Slip into Deep Sea Crevice, Balk Recovery,” Los Angeles Times , March 22, 1966, p. 1.

183 Duke, disturbed by such gloomy press:Cable, Embassy in Madrid to SECSTATE WASHDC, March 22, 1966, Deptel 1185 (LBJ).

183 The Air Force thought:SAC Historical Study #109 , pp. 320, 334–335.

183 But Guest suspected the embassy:Author’s interviews with Brad Mooney, March 30, 2007, and Robert Kingsbery, July 19, 2007.

184 he seemed as mystified:Author’s interviews with Robin Duke, June 7, 2007, and Tim Towell, January 8, 2007. See also SAC Historical Study #109 , p. 335.

184Mizarhad landed the anchor and POODL:Aircraft Salvops Med , Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, pp. 78–79; Aircraft Salvops Med , Interim Report, p. C13. See also Tad Szulc, “H-Bomb Searchers Fail Again as Sea Cable Snaps,” The New York Times , March 26, 1966, p. 9. March 23 was also the day that the diver Carl Brashear was injured in an accident aboard the USS Hoist , nearly severing his left lower leg. Brashear’s story was dramatized in the feature film Men of Honor .

184 Guest’s staff met aboard theMizar:Aircraft Salvops Med , Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, pp. 79–80; Jon Lindbergh interview, July 11, 2007.

184Mizarwould hover directly above:E-mail, Red Moody to author, December 19, 2007.

185 McCamis, still underwater inAlvin: Marvin McCamis interview, January 31, 2003.

185 Red Moody was having his own argument:Red Moody interview, November 7, 2006; e-mail, Red Moody to author, December 19, 2007.

185 TheMizar’screw snagged the floating buoy:The description of the lift at tempt comes from Aircraft Salvops Med , Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, pp. 80–81, and author’s interviews with Jon Lindbergh, July 11, 2007, and Red Moody, November 7, 2006. There are some small (fifteen-minute) discrepancies in the timeline of events.

186 “Oh, boy”:Marvin McCamis interview, January 31, 2003.

186Alvinneeded a battery charge:Aircraft Salvops Med , Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, pp. 81–82.

186 “The slope looked”:McCamis, “‘Captain Hook’s’ Hunt,” p. 27.

186 The pilots found:Ibid.

186 The broken line seemed:Aircraft Salvops Med , Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, p. 81.

186 The Soviet newspaperIzvestia: “Soviet Asks World Check on U.S. H-Bomb off Spain,” The New York Times , March 19, 1966, p. 7.

186 U.N. Secretary General:Lewis, One of Our H-Bombs , p. 222.

187 There was still the question of logistics:Aircraft Salvops Med , Final Report, vol. 1, part I, chap. 2, pp. 84–85; SAC Historical Study #109 , pp. 337–339.

187 Military officials hated the idea:Joseph Smith interview, January 23, 2007; Angier Biddle Duke, Living History interview, October 24, 1990, pp. 23–24.

187 he broke protocol and called:Angier Biddle Duke, Living History interview, October 24, 1990, pp. 23–24.