Why did Britain develop nuclear weapons?
Why did Britain develop nuclear weapons?
The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been developed by American and British scientists working together, but soon after the Second World War, Britain found itself out of the loop with the US no longer willing to collaborate. The Soviet Union tested their own nuclear weapon in 1949. And the United States was on its way to testing the first H- bomb, 1000 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
Britain was desperate to enter the arms race. And by 1952 it succeeded with Operation Hurricane, becoming the third nuclear power in the world.
But why? Why did Britain want nuclear weapons when already part of NATO and close allies with the US? And why do they still have them today?
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CREDITS:
Photo of William Penney, Otto Frisch, Rudolf Peierls and John Cockcroft © Los Alamos National Laboratory
Nuclear radiation sign on the Montebello Islands © Brian Gordon Bush via Research Gate
Ted Rollo on Trimouille Island reading the radiation level at ship debris via xnatmap.org
Explosion of the first Soviet nuclear bomb. (Photo: U.S. Department of Energy
CND marches from the 1960s © https://cnduk.org
Content
1.52 -> This is the first atomic bomb successfully
tested by the UK in 1952, making Britain
7.68 -> the third nuclear power in the world, and to
this day it maintains its nuclear arsenal.
13.92 -> But in fact, Britain was one of the first
countries involved in the development of
18.08 -> atomic bombs. They began research
on nuclear weapons as early as 1940.
24.4 -> A scientific group, known as the MAUD
Committee, was established in 1940
28.56 -> to determine the feasibility of using
nuclear fission to create an atomic bomb.
33.52 -> The following year, the Committee produced a
report which demonstrated that this was indeed
38.24 -> possible. The so-called Tube Alloys programme
was set up to develop the idea - however,
44.56 -> Britain did not have the resources, equipment, or
materials to do this alone, and the country was
49.84 -> under attack from German bombing. After lengthy
negotiations, Britain signed an agreement with the
52.96 -> United States in 1943 to share all nuclear
research and development with each other
58.64 -> and Tube Alloys was merged with America’s
existing programme, the Manhattan Project.
64 -> Their first successful nuclear test on
16 July 1945 ushered in the nuclear age.
80.8 -> Less than a month later, atomic bombs
were dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
85.28 -> The devastation revealed that Britain
and the United States had created a
89.44 -> weapon of unparalleled destructive power.
With the end of the Second World War, the
94.48 -> former allies of the US and the Soviet Union now
found themselves opposed along ideological lines.
100.56 -> The United States had shown the Soviet
Union their hand by releasing their
104.64 -> superweapon and fear was growing that Soviet
scientists would soon develop their own.
109.92 -> To try to prevent Soviet spies from obtaining
information relating to nuclear technology,
114.64 -> the United States introduced the
Atomic Energy Act (also known as
117.92 -> the McMahon Act in 1946 which severed ties
with Britain and would transfer all nuclear
123.28 -> development into civilian, not military, hands.
Britain now needed to make a choice: take a step
129.2 -> back and allow the United States to cement itself
as the only western nuclear power or develop its
135.2 -> own atomic bomb to stand as an aggressor on the
world stage. Britain chose the latter and set to
141.2 -> work under the name High Explosive Research.
Despite post-war reconstruction being at the
146.72 -> forefront of British people’s minds – it’s worth
noting here that rationing did not end until
151.12 -> the early 1950s – High Explosive Research
was seen as a Labour government priority,
156.64 -> especially once the Soviet Union successfully
tested their own atomic bomb in 1949.
161.92 -> Although British scientists had been involved with
the Manhattan Project, they still did not have
162.367 -> all the required knowledge to make an atomic
bomb. Nevertheless, within just a few years
162.773 -> they did successfully develop their own.
Churchill came back into power in 1951
165.68 -> and the UK had plans to test its first weapon
– a 25-kiloton plutonium implosion bomb.
171.84 -> The uninhabited Montebello Islands, located
around 80 miles off the coast of Australia,
177.2 -> were chosen as the test site and the project was
named Operation Hurricane. Australia agreed to
182.64 -> allow Britain to use the islands – hoping that
their willingness to help might lead to the
186.48 -> supply of nuclear energy for its population.
On 3 October 1952, the first atomic bomb was
192.72 -> detonated on board the ship HMS Plym which was
moored in a lagoon on the islands. The impact of
199.2 -> the explosion left a crater 6 metres deep and 300
metres wide on the seabed. With this successful
206.48 -> test, Britain had secured a place at the top table
with the other nuclear superpowers, but Operation
212.08 -> Hurricane had come at a cost: an estimated £150
million, billions of pounds in today’s money.
219.52 -> But the impact of the test, and successive tests
throughout the 1950s, was not just financial.
225.76 -> In the mid-1980s, the McClelland Royal
Commission found that nuclear fallout had
230.32 -> serious and long-lasting effects
on those involved in the testing
234.08 -> and the indigenous populations in Australia. The
British and Australian governments have paid some
238.96 -> compensation to those effected, but discussions
remain live, and investigations are ongoing.
244.88 -> Nuclear warfare presented new technological
challenges; jet bombers were needed to carry and
250.08 -> deliver heavy nuclear weapons at long-range,
high altitudes and speed. This led to the
255.12 -> development of the V-bombers, consisting
of the Valiant, the Vulcan and the Victor.
260.16 -> V-bomber bomb bays were designed to carry
a free-fall bomb called Blue Danube,
265.92 -> the first UK-built nuclear deterrent. A
Vickers Valiant painted in anti-flash white,
272.96 -> which was thought to protect the aircraft and
its crew from thermal radiation, successfully
277.52 -> released the weapon on 11 October 1956 and became
the first RAF aircraft to drop an atomic bomb.
285.92 -> From 1962 to 1969, Britain’s primary nuclear
deterrent was the Blue Steel missile.
292.64 -> But by this time, the high-altitude V-bombers
were becoming increasingly vulnerable to air
297.44 -> defence missiles. Launched from a ‘stand-off’
position outside the range of enemy air defences,
303.6 -> Blue Steel could fly as a small, pilotless plane.
However, its unreliability and limited range
311.04 -> meant Blue Steel was already out of
date when it entered service in 1963.
316.88 -> This aircraft behind me, the Avro Vulcan
B2, was armed with the Blue Steel missile
322.4 -> while serving at RAF Scampton and RAF
Cottesmore at the height of the Cold War.
328.16 -> It was kept in a constant state of readiness known
as Quick Reaction Alert. This Blue Steel missile
334.48 -> was acquired by Imperial War Museums in 1978.
In 1952, the US tested its first thermonuclear
342.48 -> bomb – it was 1,000 times more powerful
than the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima,
346.64 -> with 10.4 megatons of TNT producing a 4 miles
wide mushroom cloud. In comparison, the bomb
353.36 -> dropped on Hiroshima was just 15 kilotons.
The Soviet Union successfully tested its
358.64 -> first thermonuclear weapon in 1953 and once
again, Britain was not that far behind.
365.2 -> On schedule, Britain dropped its
own H-bomb over Christmas Island
368.88 -> on 8 November 1957 with a yield of over a megaton.
Over 1957 and 1958, both atomic and thermonuclear
375.76 -> weapons were tested over Christmas Island
and Malden Island in the Pacific as
378.96 -> part of Operation Grapple.
During the tests, British servicemen
383.04 -> on the ground reported that the flash of light
from the explosions was so bright that, even
387.28 -> though they were facing away from the blast and
had their hands over their eyes, they could see
391.92 -> the bones in their hands. For miles beyond the
impact zone, birds, fish and other marine life
398 -> perished. The long-term effects of radiation
contamination on the servicemen and the islands’
403.52 -> inhabitants are still being researched, but
they include an array of serious health issues,
409.2 -> not just on those present during the tests but
passed down through subsequent generations.
414.72 -> In 1957, the British tested their first
hydrogen bomb. I happened to be there as
420.24 -> one of two American representatives. We were
not at all privy to the design of the bomb,
425.44 -> there was no exchange of detailed information
whatsoever. So I tried to estimate the yield
431.04 -> of the bomb, the British didn't even tell us that
and I did the best I could, trying to put my hand
436.4 -> out and measure with my fingers the size of the
fireball. And I was surprised at how small it was.
442.48 -> And so I formed the opinion that the British were
not on the right track, that they hadn't yet got
447.92 -> what we call the Teller-Ulam design. I later
learned I was wrong and that they just simply
452.8 -> had built it too small. And it was now, I believe,
a quite sophisticated approach to the question.
460.16 -> The break in the Manhattan project was not the
end of US-UK collaboration on nuclear weapons.
465.92 -> From the end of the Second World War,
the US held some of its bomber force
469.76 -> in bases across Europe so that its aircraft
would be within range of the Soviet Union.
474.24 -> In 1953, the United States committed
nuclear weapons to its NATO allies,
478.88 -> establishing a nuclear presence in Europe.
Then, in 1958, the US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement
485.28 -> was signed. Britain and the United States
were now able to exchange nuclear materials,
490.16 -> technology and information once again. The
Special Relationship had been restored. And
492.96 -> it wasn’t long before Britain was entirely
reliant on America for its nuclear weapons.
498.4 -> To maintain its place as a global nuclear
power, pressure was mounting on Britain
503.28 -> to create its own ballistic missile to replace
the nuclear deterrent carried by the V-bombers.
509.2 -> However, Britain’s attempt to create an IRBM, an
intermediate-range ballistic missile, in the form
515.68 -> of Blue Streak was cancelled in 1960 before it
even entered production due to escalating costs.
522.48 -> Britain turned to its American allies and
ordered a series of US-made Skybolt ALBMs,
529.04 -> air-launched ballistic missiles. Unfortunately,
due to continued complications, Skybolt
534.64 -> was cancelled in 1962 and Britain’s nuclear
deterrent relied on Blue Steel - until Polaris.
541.52 -> Polaris was an American-designed
submarine-launched intercontinental
545.6 -> ballistic missile which entered
service with the Royal Navy in 1968.
550.8 -> Launched from underwater, the Polaris maintained
a threat to the enemy even if a surprise nuclear
556.24 -> attack had destroyed land-based nuclear force. The
missiles were developed at Aldermaston and were
562.08 -> carried by four British Resolution-class nuclear
submarines. Each submarine held 16 missiles.
569.6 -> Polaris became Britain’s main nuclear deterrent
for the remainder of the Cold War and the
574.8 -> V-bombers were withdrawn from their nuclear role.
Behind me is a Polaris
579.36 -> A3TK on display at IWM Duxford. It has a
Chevaline warhead, a later modification designed
583.76 -> to increase the potential of Polaris being able to
penetrate Soviet anti-ballistic missile defences.
590.64 -> This missile is a drill version, used by
the Royal Navy for practice. The acronym
596 -> AIM printed on the side stands for Active Inert
Missile. This means that it contains all of the
600.8 -> working parts necessary for training, such as
the electrical systems, but cannot be launched.
606.8 -> The need to scale back nuclear tests was
recognised early on. From November 1958
612.4 -> to September 1961 – the US, UK, and USSR even
observed an informal moratorium on nuclear tests.
620 -> But testing and development continued to escalate.
In 1961 the world’s largest ever nuclear weapon
626.96 -> was detonated by the Soviets - a 58 megatons
H-bomb called Tsar Bomba – The mushroom cloud was
633.52 -> 37 miles high. Nuclear testing reached a peak in
1961-1962 when 340 megatons were detonated in the
635.423 -> atmosphere by the United States and Soviet Union.
We thought at the time, and I think it's been
637.84 -> confirmed by the Russians since, that if that bomb
had been built in a standard fashion, if there had
643.76 -> been no attempt made to reduce the radioactivity,
it would have yielded a hundred megaton,
649.04 -> so we always thought of that as the only test
essentially of a one hundred megaton bomb.. We now
655.76 -> know that Sakharov tried to prevent the explosion
of that bomb. And Khruschev apparently said,
660.56 -> you're a brilliant scientist and you understand
those things, but I understand politics. Kennedy's
666.88 -> response is also interesting. Kennedy resisted
the idea of an immediate American response,
673.12 -> that is an American test. Eventually that became
obvious that the Russians just... there was no
679.2 -> containing them, and we essentially did the
same thing. We went and, you know, we got
683.44 -> bombs from wherever we could find and took 'em
to Nevada and shot them just in order to respond
688.56 -> to these Russian tests. It was a crazy period.
In 1963, after years of negotiations, the Partial
706.16 -> Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which prohibited nuclear
weapons tests in the atmosphere, outer space and
711.6 -> underwater, was signed by Britain, the United
States and the Soviet Union. Other countries
717.28 -> followed but some have still never signed it.
The nuclear age was indeed a period of escalation
719.443 -> avoidance. World leaders went to great lengths
to limit their use throughout the Cold War;
719.534 -> summits were organised, and treaties were signed
with the aim of preventing all-out nuclear war.
719.631 -> Meanwhile, public dissent was a consistent
presence in the UK. The Campaign for Nuclear
719.719 -> Disarmament, or CND, was founded in
1957 to advocate for a global ban on
719.792 -> nuclear weapons. The organisation led
popular protests throughout the 1960s.
719.868 -> PARIS –
After the signing of the Partial Nuclear Test
719.924 -> Ban Treaty in 1963, CND membership fell but it had
a resurgence in the 1980s, largely owing to the US
720.026 -> and British governments stating that American
cruise missiles would be based in Britain. By
720.118 -> 1985, CND numbers had risen again to over 100,000.
Today, CND actively campaigns against Trident,
720.216 -> NATO and nuclear power.
In 1980, the British government
722.16 -> announced its plans to replace the
ageing stock of Polaris missiles
726.16 -> and ordered the American Trident II D5
missile system two years later. Trident
731.36 -> went into service with the Royal Navy in 1994
and remains Britain’s main nuclear deterrent.
738 -> Four Vanguard-class nuclear-powered
submarines carry Trident, each with the
742.4 -> capacity to hold up to 8 missiles. At least one
nuclear-armed submarine is constantly on patrol.
792.08 -> The British government states that it
is “committed to the long-term goal
795.76 -> of a world without nuclear weapons” and it remains
dedicated to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation
801.12 -> of Nuclear Weapons, which came into force in
1970. Nonetheless, it maintains a constant
806.72 -> nuclear deterrent stating that it is required
“to preserve peace, prevent coercion and deter
812.4 -> aggression” in order to protect Britain and its
NATO allies from countries that are “increasing
813.319 -> and diversifying their nuclear capabilities”.
In January 2021, the Treaty on the Prohibition
816.56 -> of Nuclear Weapons came into force –
an international agreement to prohibit
820.8 -> nuclear weapons, leading towards
their total elimination. To date,
822.64 -> Britain and other NATO members have not voted,
except for the Netherlands which voted against.
828.08 -> Britain will maintain its continuous at-sea
deterrence and it is estimated that the
832.72 -> Vanguard-class submarines carrying
Trident missiles will be replaced by
836.72 -> a Dreadnought-class fleet by the 2030s,
hosting existing Trident missile stock.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g81Pxt8tVc