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Air Force says 'lost nuke' should stay lost

By Jamie McIntyre
CNN Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Air Force said Wednesday it is giving up any effort to recover an unarmed nuclear bomb jettisoned off the Atlantic coast near Savannah, Georgia, in February 1958.

An Air Force statement said simply, "The bomb will remain categorized as irretrievably lost."

The Air Force said the 7,600-pound bomb lacked a key plutonium capsule needed to cause a nuclear explosion, although it contained radioactive uranium and 400 pounds of "conventional explosive."

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The U.S. Navy, the Department of Energy, and the Savannah District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers all agree the cost and risk associated with resuming the search for the bomb -- known in military parlance as a "broken arrow" -- outweigh the potential benefit, according to the Air Force.

"Each agency studied these areas independently," the Air Force statement said.

"It is the collective opinion of all four agencies that it is best to leave the bomb undisturbed. Since there was no nuclear capsule on board the aircraft there is no possibility of a nuclear explosion.

"The findings also determined that if left undisturbed, the explosives in the bomb are not hazardous to the public. However, the explosives could pose a serious hazard to recovery personnel and the environment if disturbed by a recovery attempt."

 Broken Arrow

According to the U.S. military, a "broken arrow" is the accidental or unauthorized detonation, or possible detonation of a nuclear weapon (other than during war) including:

  • Non-nuclear detonation or burning of a nuclear weapon.
  • Radioactive contamination.
  • Seizure, theft or loss of a nuclear weapon or component (including jettisoning).
  • Public hazard, actual or implied.
  • The Air Force also is concerned that the destructive nature of the search and recovery operation would cause unacceptable short- and long-term environmental damage to the area and could cause irreparable damage to the Floridan aquifer, which provides drinking water to the region.

    On February 5, 1958, a B-47 bomber on a training mission collided with a fighter jet near Savannah and had to jettison the bomb to land safely at Hunter Air Force Base. The bomb was dumped near Tybee Island, 12 miles east of Savannah. The F-86 fighter crashed after the pilot bailed out safely.

    Officials estimate the bomb was dropped at least five miles off the coast and now lies beneath 8 to 40 feet of water and buried in 5 to 15 feet of sand and silt.

    The military spent weeks searching for it and gave up on April 16, 1958.

    The Air Force reinvestigated the accident at the request of Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Georgia, who represents the coastal Georgia area.







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