Nuclear Weapons Found . . . In Georgia?
 |
James Joyner | Tuesday, September 14, 2004 |
Lost nuclear bomb possibly found (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. The group said it used radiation and metal detection equipment to search an area in Wassaw Sound off Tybee Island where the bomb reportedly was dropped, the AP reported.Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Frank Smolinsky said Monday that it’s “only prudent to completely evaluate the evidence” from the group’s search. Smolinsky said experts from the Air Force, the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy were examining the information and may decide soon to conduct their own tests with more sophisticated equipment on the scene. 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.
If it’s taken us 46 years to find one of our own nukes, no wonder it’s taking so long to find WMD in Iraq.
(Hat tip: Jeff Quinton)
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
Follow James on FriendFeed | Twitter | Digg
- None Found
- Caption Contest Winners
- OTB Latenight – Styx
- Berlin Wall Fall: 20 Years Later
- Oklahoma High Schoolers Are Very Familiar With George Washington, Thanks
- Was Fort Hood Massacre ‘Terrorism’?
- Making Jobs More Expensive
- House Trades Freedom for Health Coverage, Senate’s Move
- Hasan a Muslim First, American Second?
- OTB Caption JamTM
- Taking “No” As Iran’s Answer
- Arguing with signposts... linked with WMD?
- Backcountry Conservative linked with Missing H-Bomb found near Savannah?
The search for that h-bomb in Savannah was called off when it was originally lost after another one was dropped from a plane accidentally near Florence, SC and had to be recovered. The one in Florence actually had a minor explosion when part of the detonating charges went off, but there was no nuclear explosion.
Well, that's one broken arrow we can call back.
I hope the investigation and the subsequent information that is released by the government will have more honesty than the TWA800 coverup. But then, no one's election is affected by the results, in this case.
Comments are Closed
