I WAS EXPECTING AN EARTH-SHATTERING KABOOM: What do the B61, B53 and B83 nuclear bombs have in common? “B53 was one of the biggest and most powerful bombs the U.S. ever developed, and the components — including those originally manufactured at Y-12 and undergoing dismantlement at the Oak Ridge facility — are reported to be oversized as well. Each of the B53 bombs (pictured left) was about the size of a minivan, weighed about 5 tons and had an explosive yield of nine megatons.”