Posted on 09/13/2004 7:15:02 PM PDT by gutshot
Device dropped in ocean off Georgia during Cold War WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Government experts are investigating a claim that an unarmed nuclear bomb, lost off the Georgia coast at the height of the Cold War, might have been found, an Air Force spokesman said Monday.
The hydrogen bomb was lost in the Atlantic Ocean in 1958 following a collision of a B-47 bomber and an F-86 fighter.
A group led by retired Air Force Lt. Col. Derek Duke of Statesboro, Georgia, said in July that it had found a large object underwater near Savannah that was emitting high levels of radioactivity, according to an Associated Press report.
...... Smolinsky said if the bomb were found, a decision would have to be made about whether to try to recover it or leave it where it is. .....
The 7,600-pound, 12-foot-long thermonuclear bomb contained 400 pounds of high explosives as well as uranium.
.....
The United States lost 11 nuclear bombs in accidents during the Cold War that were never recovered, according to the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank.
An estimated 50 nuclear warheads, most of them from the former Soviet Union, still lie on the bottom of the world's oceans, according to the environmental group Greenpeace. ......
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
I'm printing that article out and keeping with me for the next time I travel through Wayne County. I want to show it to the cop so he'll know why I was driving so fast.
The fact that's its emitting large amounts of radiation seems a bit worrisome. Maybe the bomb casing has rusted through after 50 years and the uranium is leaking out?
a. NUCFLASH: An accidental or unauthorized launching, firing, or use by US forces or US supported allied forces, of a nuclear-capable weapon system which could risk the outbreak of war. These include:
(1) Detonation of a nuclear weapon.
(2) Launch of a nuclear or nuclear-capable missile.
(3) Unauthorized deviation from an approved flight plan by a nuclear-armed or nuclear-capable aircraft with the capability to penetrate the airspace of the former Soviet Union (Commonwealth of Independent States).
b. Broken Arrow: An accident or unexpected event involving nuclear weapons, warheads, or nuclear components resulting in any of the following:
(1) Detonation of a nuclear weapon.
(2) Non-nuclear detonation or burning of a weapon.
(3) Public hazard, actual or implied.
c. Empty Quiver: Loss, theft, seizure, destruction of a nuclear weapon.
d. Bent Spear: A significant incident or unexpected event involving weapons, warheads, or components which does not fall into the Broken Arrow category. These include:
(1) Damage to a nuclear weapon or component to the extent that major rework, complete replacement, examination or re-certification by the design agency is required.
(2) Requires immediate action for safety or weapon security, or may result in adverse public reaction (national or international) or premature release of information.
(3) Has such potential consequences as to warrant the interest or action of officials or agencies outside the Air Force.
e. Dull Sword: A nuclear safety deficiency. Dull Swords are the most common type of reports, are used to identify a situation, event, or condition not reportable as a Broken Arrow, Empty Quiver, or Bent Spear which could or does degrade nuclear surety. A Dull Sword normally involves an unusual event or significant problem that cannot be properly resolved by the reporting unit. Dull Sword reports bring these problems to the attention of those agencies which can evaluate the problem and correct it if necessary. Additionally, Dull Sword reports are crossfed to units with like equipment so they can check their inventories and correct deficiencies before they become mishaps. Events or conditions classified as Dull Swords include the following:
(1) Damage, malfunction, or failure of a nuclear weapon or warhead.
(2) Exposure of weapon or warhead to unusual or severe environments such as flood, earthquake, lightning, etc.
(3) Inadvertent release, launch, loss, or destruction of a nuclear training weapon or ballast dummy warhead.
(4) Unauthorized tampering, attempted break in, or other unusual security related events at nuclear weapon operational or storage facilities.
(5) Security deficiencies observed during logistic movement of nuclear weapons.
(6) Nuclear-certified equipment (listed in TO 00-110N-16) damaged, malfunctions, or fails by other than normal wear.
Stay safe .........
I have data showing the inert factor for years.
StillProud also has data showing this broken arrow.
What can be down with a broken arrow?
I see the title has been amended, thankfully. You owe me a new manicure though, as I chewed off my fingernails waiting for your thread to load. LOL.
Dammit, I hate it when that happens.
I'd have loved to have seen that thing hit. Without Slim Pickens of course.....We practice drops here at our airport with old socks or pillow cases filled with flour. Zip lock baggies filled with latex paint make a great mess too. Rolls of toilet paper soaked in water can paper machet a parking lot from 100', covering every car in a 100'radius.
I'm fascinated with the physics of stuff coming to terra firma from above.
I'd like to see Dan explain away the barnacles.
Bert the Turtle is yer friend !
http://www.duck-and-cover.org/cd.htm
Stay safe !
yes but would it creat a wave in which to surf?
If this doesnt make you nervous already, read this article.
http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0803-08.htm
Stay safe !
yes but would it creat a wave in which to surf?
My guess would be yes, the stop at the end tho wouldn't be healthy.
It would be very interesting to sample life from the site. Crabs, clams, mussels, and the millions of pond scum critters in the mud around it would tell us what a few decades of constant uranium exposure has done. I bet not much.
cool site, thanks. My father was CD warden for our area,,I was very proud of him.
LOL. Kind of like the duck and cover drills as kids?
ping
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