Bockscar was the B-29 bomber that dropped Fat Man on Nagasaki.
On 9 August 1945, Bockscar flew from Tinian in the Mariana Islands carrying Fat Man, a plutonium implosion-type atomic bomb. Major Charles W. Sweeney commanded the aircraft, while Captain Kermit Beahan served as bombardier.
The crew first approached Kokura, the mission’s primary target, but smoke and cloud cover made accurate visual bombing impossible. After several attempts and worsening fuel concerns, Bockscar diverted to Nagasaki. A break in the clouds allowed the crew to identify the target and release the bomb.
Bockscar is often confused with Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped Little Boy on Hiroshima three days earlier. The two aircraft belonged to the same specialized 509th Composite Group. After the Nagasaki mission, Bockscar landed at Yontan Airfield on Okinawa with very little fuel remaining.