Atomic Bomb Loading Pads

Northern Mariana Islands / Saipan / San Antonio /
 Second World War 1939-1945, military, historic site
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Built by US Navy Seabees as aircraft hardstands shortly after US Marine forces secured the formerly Japanese Ushi Airfield, these adjoining hardstands were requisitioned by the 509th Composite Group after their arrival on Tinian in May 1945 for the storage of their aircraft.

Ideally located at the end of a supply road to Tinians’ ammunition dumps, the twin hardstands saw little use as aircraft storage sites and were instead augmented by the addition of two pits dug in their centers, one of which was substantially deeper than the other. Shrouded in secrecy, the Western hardstand was put into use on the evening of August 5th, 1945 as the B-29 Enola Gay was backed over the top of the specially-dug pit.

Located within the pit was the 9,000lb Uranium Bomb codenamed "Little Boy", which due to its massive weight and size was too heavy to be loaded conventionally into a B-29. Using a hydraulic hoist, "Little Boy" successfully loaded onto the Enola Gay and subsequently dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima the following day. Three days later, the Eastern hardstand was utilized by the B-29 Bocks Car in a similar fashion though the bomb she loaded, a Plutonium Bomb codenamed "Fat Man", was much larger and 1,000lbs heavier. Nonetheless, the bomb was successfully loaded into the aircraft and subsequently dropped onto the Japanese city of Nagasaki the following day.

Planned to be used in a similar fashion until the Japanese Empire capitulated, the atomic bomb loading pits thankfully saw no further use after August 7th, 1945 and were largely abandoned following the closure of North Field in March 1947.

Today, both historic sites protected by weatherproof enclosures and are regularly visited by tour groups.

northernmarianas.50webs.com/tinian.html
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   15°5'0"N   145°38'3"E

Comments

  • Having been ther, the a bomb pits were so that the palnes could be rolled over the bombs, then have them loaded up into the plane. I don't think it was a heavy thing as much as a too big thing.
This article was last modified 14 years ago