Q: Atom Bomb Pits

So I know that to load Atom Bombs a special bomb pit was required. The one used for the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings was the Tinian Atom Bomb Pits.

My first question is were there other atom bomb pits at the time? My second is how many other pits were developed, where were they built, and when?
 
So I know that to load Atom Bombs a special bomb pit was required. The one used for the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings was the Tinian Atom Bomb Pits.

My first question is were there other atom bomb pits at the time? My second is how many other pits were developed, where were they built, and when?

I don't think there was anything particularly special about them aside from size. At 5 tons and 128"x60", and 5 tons and 120x28", the two nuclear bombs were much larger than any other bombs used at the time (well, by the Americans - the British Tallboy bombs were about the same size, and the Grand Slams about twice as heavy, though even the Grand Slam was much less wide than the Fat Man (46").
 
Yeah, as I understand it it's pretty straightforward - the gap between the bottom of the bomb bay and the runway was smaller than the diameter of the bomb. That means jacking up the aircraft or digging a hole in the runway - and digging a hole is the simpler and cheaper option.
 

Pangur

Donor
Basically any air base where B-29`s operated from and where the very early A-bombs were in service. Walker AFB near Roswell comes to mind for some reason.
 
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