Atomic Bomb Pit 2 - BocksCar Loading Site

Northern Mariana Islands / Saipan / San Antonio /
 Second World War 1939-1945, military, historic site
On the evening of August 8th, 1945, a B-29 Superfortress named BocksCar was backed into this hardstand and placed directly over this pit, which contained 10,000lb 10.7-foot long atomic bomb codenamed "Fat Man".

Loaded from this pit by means of a hydraulic lift, the atomic bomb was secured into BocksCar's cavernous bomb bay under the cover of darkness, after which the aircraft was towed to the ready flight line and prepared for its flight. The following day, August 9th, 1945, the Bockscar dropped "Fat Man" onto the Japanese city of Nagasaki at 1102hrs.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Man
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bockscar
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_...
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Field_(Tinian)
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   15°5'0"N   145°38'5"E

Comments

  • The Seabee who dug this pit is still around and living in the Buffalo, NY area. To hear him tell it, he was basically yanked out of his chair at the evening movie and put on a truck full of heavily armed Marines. Thinking he was in deep s#it, he was somewhat relieved when he was taken off the truck and greeted by a large number of officers and what looked like civilians. Ordered to man a backhoe and start opening up a hole in the airfield, he quickly dug out the hole to the ordered dimensions and depth. As soon as he finished, he was yanked out of his backhoe and put back on the truck full of heavily armed Marines and dropped back at the movie hut. Not thinking too much of what had just transpired, he resumed watching the movie and thought nothing of his role in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima until seeing a documentary on the bombing over 30 years later.
This article was last modified 13 years ago