Frederick C. Bock

Who was Frederick C. Bock?

Frederick C. Bock was a World War II pilot who took part in the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945, flying the B-29 bomber The Great Artiste, which was used for scientific measurements of the effects caused by the nuclear weapon. The bomber which actually dropped Fat Man was called Bockscar as it was usually flown by Frederick Bock. The staff was swapped just before the raid and Major Charles Sweeney piloted Bockscar, which flew with The Great Artiste and another aircraft. A native of Greenville, Michigan, Bock died at his Arizona home in 2000, of cancer.