Broken Arrow cover art

Broken Arrow

How the U.S. Navy Lost a Nuclear Bomb

Preview

Free with 30-day trial
Prime logo New to Audible Prime Member exclusive:
2 credits with free trial
1 credit a month to use on any title to download and keep
Listen to anything from the Plus Catalogue—thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts and audiobooks
Download titles to your library and listen offline
₹199 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

Broken Arrow

Written by: Jim Winchester
Narrated by: Shawn Compton
Free with 30-day trial

₹199 per month after trial ends. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for ₹703.00

Buy Now for ₹703.00

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Douglas Webster was a young pilot from Ohio, newly married and with 17 combat missions under his belt. On December 5, 1965 he strapped into an A-4 Skyhawk bomber for a routine weapons loading drill and simulated mission. After mishandling the maneuver, the plane and its pilot sunk to the bottom of the South China Sea, along with a live B43 one-megaton thermonuclear bomb.

A cover-up mission began. The crew was ordered to stay quiet, rumors circulate of sabotage, a damaged weapon, and a troublesome pilot who needed "disposing of". The incident, a "Broken Arrow" in the parlance of the Pentagon, was kept under wraps until 25 years later. The details that emerged caused a diplomatic incident, revealing that the US had violated agreements not to bring nuclear weapons into Japan. Family members and the public only learned the truth when researchers discovered archived documents that disclosed the true location of the carrier, hundreds of miles closer to land than admitted.

For the first time, through previously classified documents and the recollections of those who were there, the story of carrier aviation's only "Broken Arrow" is told in full.

©2019 Jim Winchester (P)2020 Tantor
20th Century Armed Forces Nuclear Weapons

What listeners say about Broken Arrow

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.