Operation Plowshare was the overall American term for the development of techniques to use nuclear explosives for peaceful construction purposes. It was coined in 1961.
Proposed uses included widening the Panama Canal, constructing a new waterway through Nicaragua or cutting paths through mountainous areas for highways.
It has never been applied, but it has been tested. These twenty-eight shots were conducted in conjunction with other, weapons-related, test series. These are annotated under the 'notes' column.
The name of the operation came from a bibilical verse in the Book of Isaiah about turning swords into plowshares.
The planned Chariot blast in Alaska was never carried out.
The individual tests were:
Test Name
Date
Location
Yield
Note
Gnome 10 December 1961 Carlsbad, New Mexico 3 Kilotons Nougat
Sedan 6 July 1962 Nevada Test Site 104 Kilotons Storax
Anacostia 27 November 1962 Nevada Test Site 'Low' Dominic I and II
Kaweah 21 February 1963 Nevada Test Site 'Low' Dominic I and II
Tornillo 11 October 1963 Nevada Test Site 'Low' Niblick
Klickitat 20 February 1964 Nevada Test Site 24 Kilotons Niblick
Ace 11 June 1964 Nevada Test Site Less than 20 Kt Niblick
Dub 30 June 1964 Nevada Test Site Less than 20 Kt Niblick
Par 9 October 1964 Nevada Test Site 38 Kilotons Whetstone
Handcar 5 November 1964 Nevada Test Site Less than 20 Kt Whetstone
Sulky 5 November 1964 Nevada Test Site 0.9 Kilotons Whetstone
Palanquin 14 April 1965 Nevada Test Site 4.3 Kilotons Whetstone
Templar 24 March 1966 Nevada Test Site Less than 20 Kt Flintlock
Vulcan 25 June 1966 Nevada Test Site 25 Kilotons Flintlock
Saxon 11 July 1966 Nevada Test Site Less than 20 Kt Latchkey[?]
Simms 6 November 1966 Nevada Test Site Less than 20 Kt Latchkey[?]
Switch 22 June 1967 Nevada Test Site Less than 20 Kt Latchkey[?]
Marvel 21 September 1967 Nevada Test Site 2.2 Kilotons Crosstie[?]
Gasbuggy 10 December 1967 Farmington, New Mexico 29 Kilotons Crosstie[?]
Cabriolet 26 January 1968 Nevada Test Site 2.3 Kilotons Crosstie[?]
Buggy 12 March 1968 Nevada Test Site 5.4 Kilotons Crosstie[?]
Stoddard 17 September 1968 Nevada Test Site About 13 Kilotons Bowline[?]
Schooner 8 December 1968 Nevada Test Site 30 Kilotons Bowline[?]
Rulison 10 September 1968 Grand Valley, Colorado[?] 47 Kilotons Mandrel[?]
Flask 26 May 1970 Nevada Test Site 105 Kilotons Mandrel[?]
Miniata 8 July 1971 Nevada Test Site 83 Kilotons Grommet[?]
Rio Blanco 17 May 1973 Rifle, Colorado 3@33 Kilotons each Toggle[?]