The Mark 22 nuclear bomb (Mk-22) was the first thermonuclear device test by the
University of California Radiation Lab (UCRL). The test was part of the
''Koon'' shot of Operation Castle. The Mk-22 failed to achieve anything like its intended yield due to premature heating of the secondary from exposure to neutrons. As the other UCRL test planned for the Castle series, the liquid-fueled "
Ramrod
A ramrod (or scouring stick) is a metal or wooden device used with muzzleloading firearms to push the projectile up against the propellant (mainly blackpowder). The ramrod was used with weapons such as muskets and cannons and was usually held ...
" device had the same basic
design flaw A product defect is any characteristic of a product which hinders its usability for the purpose for which it was designed and manufactured.
Product defects arise most prominently in legal contexts regarding product safety, where the term is appl ...
, that test was canceled. Within a month of the bomb's failure, the Mk-22 was terminated because the
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by U.S. Congress to foster and control the peacetime development of atomic science and technology. President ...
realized there was nothing that could be done to salvage the design.
References
*Hansen, Chuck. ''U.S. Nuclear Weapons''. Arlington, Texas, Areofax, Inc., 1988. .
*Gibson, James N. “Complete List of All U.S. Nuclear Weapons.” ''List of All U.S. Nuclear Weapons'', 1996, nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Weapons/Allbombs.html.
*“1954 - Pacific Proving Ground.” ''Operation Castle'', 17 May 2006, nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/Castle.html.
*Hernandez, Daniel. “Post ‘Ivy Mike’ and ‘Castle Bravo.’” ''United States History of Thermonuclear Weapons Development'', Stanford University, 8 Mar. 2015, large.stanford.edu/courses/2015/ph241/hernandez2/.
* Hansen, Chuck,
Swords of Armageddon U.S. Nuclear Weapons Development since 1945" (CD-ROM & download available). PDF-2.67 Mb. 2,600 pages, Sunnyvale, California, Chucklea Publications, 1995, 2007. (2nd Ed.)
Nuclear bombs of the United States
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