The Vulcan's voice: multiple meanings of a Cold War artefact

Alberti, S J M M

The Vulcan's voice: multiple meanings of a Cold War artefact

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Book chapter

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Alberti, S J M M

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2024

Abstract

This chapter charts the object biography of a massive delta-winged nuclear bomber, Vulcan XM597. Initially part of the nuclear deterrent it was later, during the Falklands conflict, one of only two of its kind to be involved in direct combat. Shortly afterwards it began a new life as a museum artefact, but once absorbed into the museum collection the Vulcan did not stagnate. Conservators cared for it; curators documented it; former crew members stood underneath its wings and told their stories. It became much admired by a community of enthusiasts (and even the backdrop to a wedding). Nevertheless, XM597 is gradually succumbing to inevitable deterioration. Like other museum objects, the Vulcan’s values changed during its use, arrival and museum afterlife: XM597 means different things to crew, curator, or museum visitor. This chapter explores the contradictions inherent in this giant artefact, and what this can tell us about the changing and contested meanings of objects associated with the Cold War. XM597 was a bomber built for nuclear war that in two decades fought only once, with conventional bombs; a tool of death that became beloved; a highly valuable piece of technical Cold War equipment parked outside; and a howling fire god silenced on a dreich Scottish airfield.