Thule, Greenland – 1968: A Nuclear Fire on Arctic Ice
Date of Incident: January 21, 1968
A Cold War Tragedy in the Arctic
The icy silence of Greenland’s far north was shattered on January 21, 1968, when a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber carrying four hydrogen bombs crashed near Thule Air Base, one of the most remote American military outposts in the Arctic. The aircraft had been on “Chrome Dome” duty—America’s airborne nuclear alert missions designed to ensure rapid retaliation in case of Soviet attack.
What followed was one of the Cold War’s most dramatic nuclear accidents: an inferno on the ice, radioactive contamination across the Arctic landscape, and a political crisis that would ripple through U.S.–Danish relations.
What Happened: The Fire in the Sky
The mission began like many others. The B-52 bomber departed from Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York, carrying its nuclear payload across the North Atlantic. Its route circled over Greenland, close to Soviet borders, before returning to the U.S.—a constant demonstration of America’s nuclear readiness.
But at 3:39 p.m., tragedy struck. A small fire broke out in the cockpit, likely caused by an overheated cushion near an electrical system. Within minutes, the fire spread uncontrollably, filling the cabin with smoke. The crew fought desperately, but the plane was doomed.
As the bomber lost control, the captain ordered a bailout. Six of the seven crew members ejected; one perished when his parachute failed to deploy. Moments later, the B-52 slammed into the ice-covered waters of North Star Bay, just seven miles from Thule Air Base.
The Nuclear Explosion That Never Was
Although the bomber carried four hydrogen bombs, there was no nuclear detonation. Instead, the conventional high-explosive components within the weapons erupted upon impact, scattering plutonium, uranium, and tritium across the frozen landscape. The blast left a fiery crater, melted ice, and spewed radioactive debris far into the Arctic winds.
For the inhabitants of Thule—U.S. military personnel and Greenlandic workers—the crash was a chilling reminder that nuclear apocalypse was not just an abstract fear, but a tangible threat lying in their own backyard.
Operation Crested Ice: The Arctic Cleanup
The cleanup operation, codenamed “Crested Ice,” began immediately and lasted for months. It was a massive multinational effort involving:
- American military units coordinating logistics and containment.
- Danish civilian workers and scientists who risked exposure while handling radioactive material.
- Specialized teams using bulldozers, snowplows, and even sleds to collect contaminated ice and debris.
In total, thousands of tons of radioactive snow, wreckage, and ice were packed into barrels and shipped to the United States for disposal. Workers wore minimal protection, and many later reported long-term health problems, leading to decades of legal and political disputes.
But one mystery remains: not all of the nuclear material was recovered. Many experts believe that at least one bomb’s secondary stage, containing uranium and lithium deuteride, sank beneath the ice and remains unrecovered to this day.
Political Fallout: Denmark’s Dilemma
For Denmark, the incident sparked outrage. Official Danish policy since the 1950s had banned nuclear weapons from Greenland’s territory, even though the U.S. had quietly deployed them during the Cold War.
The Thule crash exposed this contradiction to the public. Demonstrations broke out, and Danish politicians demanded answers from Washington. The political storm ultimately pressured the U.S. to end its airborne nuclear alert missions in 1968, marking the end of Operation Chrome Dome.
Legacy of Thule: Shadows on the Ice
The Thule incident remains one of the most controversial Cold War nuclear accidents—less famous than the Palomares, Spain crash of 1966, but equally significant in its political and environmental consequences.
- For Greenland, it became a symbol of unwanted Cold War militarization on its soil.
- For Denmark, it underscored the tension between alliance with the U.S. and its own nuclear-free stance.
- For the U.S. Air Force, it marked the end of routine nuclear flights over the Arctic skies.
Today, the frozen bay near Thule still carries whispers of that January day in 1968, when fire and plutonium fell upon the ice. The Arctic keeps its secrets, but the legacy of Operation Crested Ice is a reminder of how close the world came to disaster—not from war, but from accident.
Key Takeaways
- Date: January 21, 1968
- Location: Near Thule Air Base, Greenland
- Cause: Cockpit fire aboard a U.S. B-52 bomber
- Payload: Four hydrogen bombs (no nuclear detonation, but radioactive dispersal)
- Cleanup: “Operation Crested Ice” removed contaminated debris, but some nuclear material is believed unrecovered.
- Impact: Outrage in Denmark, end of U.S. Arctic nuclear flights, lasting Cold War mistrust.
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Reviewed by Sagar B
on
August 20, 2025
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