West Point Military Museum - Nuclear Weapons / 06 Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Safety Plug (From the Fat Man Atom Bomb)
Bill Maloney
3/13/2009

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06 Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Safety Plug

06 Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Safety Plug

This is one of the two Green Safety Plugs used on the atomic bomb Fat Man that was dropped over Nagasaki. The green plugs kept the electrical arming cirucuit open so that should the B-29 crash on takeoff the atom bomb wouldn't detonate and take out the air base. Once in the air with all 4 28 cylinder radial engines running normally would the Green Safety Plugs be swapped out for Red Safety Plugs, arming the atom bomb Fat Man.

The tag appears to read as follows:

10 Aug 1945
Tinian Island

I certify that this
is one of the two Green
Safety Plugs used on F-33
at Nagasaki, Japan on
9 August, 1945. This was
the second Atomic Bomb
dropped on the Empire.

Signed:

F. L. Ashworth
Cdr. USN.
Philip M. Barnes

F.L. Ashworth was the co-pilot of BOCKSCAR on the Nagasaki mission.
Philip M. Barnes was the Electronic Test Officer / Weapons Officer aboard the B-29 BOCKSCAR during the Nagasaki mission.