Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Operation Plowshare was the overall American term for the development of techniques to use nuclear explosives for peaceful construction purposes. It was coined in 1961.Proposed uses included widening the Panama Canal, constructing a new waterway through Nicaragua or cutting paths through mountainous areas for highways.
It has never been applied, but it has been tested. These twenty-eight shots were conducted in conjunction with other, weapons-related, test series. These are annotated under the 'notes' column.
The name of the operation came from a bibilical verse in the Book of Isaiah about turning swords into plowshares.
The planned Chariot blast in Alaska was never carried out.
The individual tests were:
Plowshare Test Blasts Test Name Date Location Yield Note
Gnome 10 December 1961 Carlsbad, New Mexico 3 Kilotons Nougat Sedan 6 July 1962 Nevada Test Site 104 Kilotons Storax Anacostia 27 November 1962 Nevada Test Site 'Low' Dominic I and II Kaweah 21 February 1963 Nevada Test Site 'Low' Dominic I and II Tornillo 11 October 1963 Nevada Test Site 'Low' Niblick Klickitat 20 February 1964 Nevada Test Site 24 Kilotons Niblick Ace 11 June 1964 Nevada Test Site Less than 20 Kt Niblick Dub 30 June 1964 Nevada Test Site Less than 20 Kt Niblick Par 9 October 1964 Nevada Test Site 38 Kilotons Whetstone Handcar 5 November 1964 Nevada Test Site Less than 20 Kt Whetstone Sulky 5 November 1964 Nevada Test Site 0.9 Kilotons Whetstone Palanquin 14 April 1965 Nevada Test Site 4.3 Kilotons Whetstone Templar 24 March 1966 Nevada Test Site Less than 20 Kt Flintlock Vulcan 25 June 1966 Nevada Test Site 25 Kilotons Flintlock Saxon 11 July 1966 Nevada Test Site Less than 20 Kt Latchkey Simms 6 November 1966 Nevada Test Site Less than 20 Kt Latchkey Switch 22 June 1967 Nevada Test Site Less than 20 Kt Latchkey Marvel 21 September 1967 Nevada Test Site 2.2 Kilotons Crosstie Gasbuggy 10 December 1967 Farmington, New Mexico 29 Kilotons Crosstie Cabriolet 26 January 1968 Nevada Test Site 2.3 Kilotons Crosstie Buggy 12 March 1968 Nevada Test Site 5.4 Kilotons Crosstie Stoddard 17 September 1968 Nevada Test Site About 13 Kilotons Bowline Schooner 8 December 1968 Nevada Test Site 30 Kilotons Bowline Rulison 10 September 1968 Grand Valley, Colorado 47 Kilotons Mandrel Flask 26 May 1970 Nevada Test Site 105 Kilotons Mandrel Miniata 8 July 1971 Nevada Test Site 83 Kilotons Grommet Rio Blanco 17 May 1973 Rifle, Colorado 3@33 Kilotons each Toggle
External Link
A page on the Gnome testSource: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Operation Plowshare."
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Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
