Canuck Couple Finds Missing H-Bomb

Georgia: Amateur divers find long-lost nuclear warhead

I wonder what happens if I hit this?

A couple of tourists from Canada made a surprising discovery while scuba diving in Wassaw Sound, a small bay located on the shores of Georgia. Jason Sutter and Christina Murray were admiring the marine life of the area when they stumbled upon a Mark 15 thermonuclear bomb that had been lost by the United States Air Force more than 50 years ago.

The couple from London in Ontario, was on a two week vacation in Georgia and Florida to practise their favorite hobby, scuba diving, when they decided to dive near the shores of Tybee Island. While admiring the plants and fishes near the sea floor, they noticed a large cylindrical item partially covered by sand. They investigated the object and found out that it was actually a sort of bomb or missile, so they decided to contact the authorities.

“I noticed an object that looked like a metal cylinder, which I thought was an oil barrel” says Jason Sutter. “When I dug it up a bit, I noticed that it was actually a lot bigger and that there was some writing on the side. When I saw the inscription saying that it was a Mk-15 nuclear bomb, I totally freaked out. I caught Chritina by the arm and made signs to tell her we had to leave. We made an emergency ascent, went back to shore and then we called 911.”

The fact that a nuclear bomb was lost in the area was well known (at least I knew, and had been told by multiple sources). I guess it was just a matter of time until someone stumbled over it.

You can imagine what happened next, an armada of government vessels from a variety of departments, divers, and confusion. But after 48 hours they did manage to get it off the bottom.

The bomb was originally jettisoned there back in 1958 when two military planes collided in midair during a training exercise. Although I don't see it mentioned in the article, I've heard in the past that it was not armed, and accidental detonation was not considered possible. By this time, the tritium in the fusion trigger was probably decayed to point of being useless.

I hope they at least got a good finders fee.