The mushroom cloud from Upshot–Knothole Grable, with the cannon it was fired from in the foreground.
On May 25, 1953, the U.S. military tested a 280mm atomic artillery shell over Nevada it codenamed Grable. The round was fired from the Atomic Cannon—one of the largest ever produced by the U.S.—to a target seven-miles away.
The U.S. made 20 of these cannons during the Cold War in case it came to blows with the Soviets. The round detonated in the air and completely obliterated the cars, buildings, and bridges below. Learn more about this crazy cannon during this nerve wracking video by WATM.
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The M65 series artillery piece, nicknamed Atomic Annie, is a 280mm cannon capable of firing a nuclear round. The piece was delivered to Fort Lee Nov. 29 after restoration work in Atlanta. It will be used as one of the centerpieces of the 120,000-square-foot Ordnance Training Support Facility under construction. It was formerly displayed at the Ordnance Museum in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. The M65 series artillery piece, nicknamed Atomic Annie, is a 280mm cannon capable of firing a nuclear round. Twenty copies were made between 1953-63. Several survive and are on display at museums and other venues across the country. Atomic Cannon firing over the East China Sea in 1956, (U.S. Army Photo) Bill Wieberg and Ken Wieberg, son, gather in front of the gun they travelled from St. Louis to see, Atomic Annie, at Rock Island Arsenal’s Memorial Field, April 18. (Photo by Joe Ammann) ASC Assistant Historian Mark Struve talks details of the Atomic Cannon with photos, drawings, and manuals during Bill Wieberg and son, Ken Wieberg’s visit, April 18. (Photo by Joe Ammann)
