[show me state]

Search may resume for nuclear bomb lost off Georgia coast in 1950s

Old Nuclear Bomb Lost off Georgia's Coast

[bikepacker67]

The bomb contains uranium and 400 pounds of explosives, but doesn't have a plutonium capsule, Mullins said. With no capsule, the bomb is incapable of creating a nuclear explosion.

Would make for one helluva dirty bomb, though...

[ICX]

Duke said that radiation levels were seven to 10 times greater than normal at one spot. The group then detected a massive underwater object, he said.

"It might be nothing," Duke said.

"Massive underwater objects leaking radiation are usually no big deal."

[randog]

"Our big question now is, 'What do we do next?'"

Whatever you do, don't cut the red wire.

[babyface00]

This is only peripherally related, but this article made me wonder if any of the (decommissioned) atomic weapons of this era are available for public viewing, either on the web or in museums.

I suppose its possible that the designs are still classified, but it would be really interesting to see what the insides of these things looked like. They were truly state of the art devices in their time.

[newgeezer]

The crew of a B-47 accidentally dropped the 7,600-pound H-bomb in 1958 after it collided with another jet fighter. The military searched for the bomb for three months.

I think I'm starting to understand why George Carlin used to say "military intelligence" is an oxymoron.

[Tallguy]

The bomb is probably entombed in 20 feet of mud, he said.

"If you want to determine for sure that it was the (nuclear bomb), you would have to dig it up with a big dredging type of operation," Mullins said.

Any underwater treasure hunter will tell you that this isn't true. Do you suppose that an underwater vacuum system might be used to excavate the bomb? How about a coffer dam? They said the water wasn't 'deep'.

The Navy will usually go to great lengths to recover lost ordnance, like WW2 torpedoes, if they present a hazard. I can't believe the lax attitude of the Air Force on this one.

[mattdono]

DemoCRAT reaction

What did Bush know?! When did he know it?!

[PoorMuttly]

Bombie....they found you !

....um....uh....can Muttly have him back ?!!!

[mass55th]

"The group then detected a massive underwater object, he said."

Has Ronstadt been scuba diving off the coast of Georgia?

[EX52D]

Bump for later...

[headsonpikes]

I see the H-bomb was found by Derek Duke.

I hope Boss Hogg don't catch him trying to steal gubmint property!

[COEXERJ145]

The bomb most likely is a Mark-15 which has a yield of either 1.69 megatons or 3.9 megatons. The higher yield weapon would have uranium-238 as its tamper so we must assume that the missing bomb was the type designed to detonate with a yield of 3.9 megatons.

[Interesting Times]

ping...

[nightdriver]

Not to depart from the present thread too far, but do you remember that Russian boomer that was scuttled just south of this site with it's full component of nuclear-tipped missles on board?

Our illustrious US media tried to assure us that it was sunk in water so deep that the pressure would neutralise those atomic weapons! Hah! I have a deed to a bridge in New York that I will sell at a big discount to anyone that would actually believe that.

As far as I know, that sub is still there.