Archive expert Tom Scott recently uncovered a disturbing plan and the location for a potential explosion in the North York Moors in 1969.
Wheeldale, in the North York Moors, was the proposed site for a large-scale blast. It’s just a few miles from Pickering and Whitby. Here’s further information about the government’s plot to detonate a nuclear bomb in the North York Moors.
Why was there a plan to detonate a bomb in the North York Moors?
The paper ‘Possible Sites for Completely Contained Nuclear Explosions in North Yorkshire’ found that the blasts were designed to “create underground storage for gas or oil” or to “stimulate natural gas production”
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Scientists planned to bury the bomb 2,000 feet underground in a small forested area known as Wheeldale before detonating it. This would result in a substantial cavernous hole, storing natural gas and providing energy for homes.
The plans contained extensive information regarding the project’s cost. They also included the acquisition of a mile of surrounding land and evacuating approximately 1,000 nearby residents. Additionally, the balance sheet outlined the cost of the nuclear bomb at £517,100, equivalent to about £9m in today’s money.
The UK report was produced in 1969 at the height of the Space Race and the so-called “white heat of technology” era.

How destructive was the bomb?
The bomb would have a yield of 25 kilotons. Therefore surpassing the destructive power of the atomic explosion that devastated the Japanese city of Nagasaki in 1945. The explosion that ultimately led to the conclusion of the Second World War.
What about the surrounding residents?
The documents also calculated the compensation that would be provided to homeowners in the neighbouring areas of Pickering and Whitby. They are located approximately 10 miles away from the planned area. The compensation was to cover expected damages and repairs resulting from the aftershock.
It’s unclear whether the locals would have been told what was happening, although it would have been difficult to hide!
Tom Scott’s YouTube Video: The government’s plot to detonate a nuclear bomb in The North York Moors
Tom discovered the once secret and now unclassified documents at the National Archives in London; he was astonished at what he had uncovered. He remarked, “It’s the first time in a long while that I’ve read some old archive file, and my jaw has literally dropped.”
“North Yorkshire is a beautiful area that includes two national parks. It is stunning; it is historic. It is not somewhere that I’d expect anyone to try to set off a nuclear explosion.”
Tom is a University of York graduate who now creates popular content on practical science on YouTube. He visited the site for his video to showcase the landscape where the explosion would have occurred. His video has over 2 million views.
He mentions that the government’s plan was in line with similar projects carried out in the United States and the Soviet Union, which aimed to explore the potential of nuclear bombs in altering the landscape rather than as military weapons.
Peaceful nuclear explosions were being studied to see if they could impact the physical landscape
Scientists were exploring the potential of peaceful nuclear explosions to create harbours or sizeable underground storage areas for gas supplies. They wanted to replace the prevalent above-ground tanks used nationwide.
In the United States, scientists conducted a series of tests in the Nevada deserts under the codename Operation Plowshare.
Tom mentioned that the Soviet Union was believed to have conducted “over 200” underground explosions. Both countries decided to abandon the idea upon realising that gas stored in the caverns could never be completely radiation-free.
Watch the full YouTube video:
The government’s plot to detonate a nuclear bomb in The North York Moors was abandoned. There were many risks, and it would have been a wrong financial and environmental decision. In his YouTube video, Tom Scott said the project’s paper trail vanished after the end of 1969, with only a note that “further thought” would go into the idea.
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