In 2001, a Department of Energy hydrographic survey suggested that the bomb was buried between five and 15 feet of silt. The Air Force has continually assured the public that the bomb is harmless.
In the eighty years since the U.S. detonated two nuclear weapons in combat against Imperial Japan, it is a small miracle that no detonation of a nuclear weapon has occurred in combat since. And with the proliferation of nuclear weapons to nine nations across the globe—ten, if Iran crosses the threshold—and the subsequent production of many thousands of individual nuclear devices, it is a wonder that no unintentional detonations of nuclear weapons has yet taken place.
But there have been mishaps and dozens of near-misses—including some on U.S. soil.
In 1958, one such near miss took place off the coast of Georgia, when a damaged B-47 dropped a 7,600 pound Mark 15 nuclear bomb into the waters off Tybee Island. The bomb was never recovered. And although the U.S. government has asserted that the bomb was coreless—and thus posing no nuclear risk—conflicting reports have surfaced to suggest that the bomb was indeed nuclear-armed.
The Tybee Island Incident
On February 5, 1958, a B-47 Stratojet bomber and an F-86 Sabre were conducting a combat simulation from Homestead Air Force Base in Florida. The B-47 was carrying a Mark 15 nuclear bomb with an explosive yield of 3.8 megatons—190 times more powerful than the device used to level Nagasaki in 1945.
During the combat simulation, the F-86 pilot did not see the B-47 on his radar, and inadvertently descended onto the bomber. The mid-air collision tore off the F-86’s left wing, forcing the pilot to eject. He landed safely in a nearby swamp.
The situation was more complicated for the B-47, however. Armed with the Mark 15, the B-47 lost control after collision, plummeting from 38,000 feet to 20,000 feet before the pilot regained control. Then, fearful that the bomb could be jettisoned from the damaged aircraft, the B-47 crew requested and received permission to drop the bomb at sea.
The Mark 15 was dropped from 7,200 feet, while the B-47 was travelling at 200 knots per hour, into the waters of Wassaw Sound, near Tybee Island. The B-47’s crew did not see an explosion when the bomb landed in the waters below. The pilot was then able to land the aircraft at Hunter Air Force Base, south of Savannah.
The Bomb Is Still Somewhere in Georgia
The government spent two months trying to locate the Mark 15. “A team of 100 Navy personnel equipped with handheld sonar conducted cable sweeps in search of the bomb immediately following the incident, but stopped on April 16—more than two months after the accident,” The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation wrote.
Over four decades later, in 2001, a Department of Energy hydrographic survey suggested that the bomb was buried between five and 15 feet of silt. The Air Force has continually assured the public that the bomb is harmless. But whether or not the bomb was nuclear-armed has never been settled. “Initially, experts disputed whether the bomb was nuclear or not,” the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation wrote, adding that, if the bomb were indeed nuclear, “an above water explosion would have a fireball with a radius of more than one mile and thermal radiation for up to 10 times that distance.”
About the Author: Harrison Kass
Harrison Kass is a senior defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
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