Project Seal

Project Seal ( also known as the Tsunami bomb) was a programme by the New Zealand military to develop a weapon that could create destructive tidal waves. This weapon was tested in Whangaparaoa off the coast of Auckland between 1944-1945. The experiments were conducted by Professor Thomas Leech. British and US defence chiefs were eager to see it developed and it was considered as important as the atomic bomb. The weapon was only tested using small explosions and never on a full scale. If it were to be fully produced and used, it would have created huge amounts of damage to coastal cities; it could have even been used with a nuclear charge. After 4000 test explosions over a seven-month period, none of which generated an appreciable tsunami, the project was closed down when it was determined that there were errors in the theoretical basis of the plan. The top secret documents on Project Seal were only declassified in 1999.

References

*Tsunami bomb NZ's devastating war secret [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=14727]
*Devastating tsunami bomb viable, say experts [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=14884]
*How to dismantle a tsunami bomb [http://www.arc.govt.nz/arc/index.cfm?33217A57-BCD4-1A24-9D5F-EBB8C980C283]