Tybee Bomb lost - February 5, 1958

On this day in 1958, the U.S. Air Force lost a nuclear bomb in the waters near Tybee Island, off the coast of Georgia. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This Day in History Class is a production of I
Heart Radio. Welcome Back everyone. I'm Eves and you're listening
to This Day in History Class, a show where we
peel back a new layer of history every day. Today
is February. The day was February nine. The U. S.

(00:28):
Air Force lost a nuclear bomb in the waters near
Tybee Island off the coast of Georgia. Tho fake news
stories claiming that the bomb had been found have emerged.
The bomb is considered lost. That day, a B forty
seven bomber under the command of Major Howard Richardson was
flying a simulated combat mission from Homestead Air Force Base

(00:50):
in Florida. The plane was carrying a Mark fifteen thermonuclear
bomb that weighed more than seven thousand pounds. To make
the simulation more realistic, the bomb contained four hundred pounds
of high explosives as well as enriched uranium and other
nuclear material. The bomb may have had a plutonium nuclear core,

(01:11):
or it may have had a demi core installed. If
it did have its nuclear capsule, an explosion could cause
serious damage an injury for miles. Early that morning, before sunrise,
and F eighty six fighter jet out of Charleston accidentally
collided with Richardson's B forty seven. The fighter jets pilot

(01:31):
Lieutenant Clearance Stewart did not see the bomber on his radar.
The left wing ripped off of the F eighty six
and the B forty seven's fuel tanks were badly damaged.
Stewart ejected from the fighter and landed in the Savannah
River swamp. Though he survived the landing, he was severely
frost bitten. The F eighty six landed in a field

(01:53):
in Georgia. As Richardson attempted to regain control of the
B forty seven. He requested an emergency land ending at
Hunter Air Force Base in Savannah, but the runway was
under repair. Richardson did not want the bomb to break
loose on an emergency landing, and he wanted the crew
to survive, so he decided to let go of the

(02:13):
bomb over the ocean before landing at Hunter. There was
no explosion when the bomb entered the ocean just off
Tybee Island, and they landed safely at Hunter. For his efforts,
Richardson got the Distinguished Flying Cross, a decoration awarded to
officers when they show heroism or extraordinary achievement during flight.

(02:33):
The Navy searched for the lost bomb for two months
but could not find it. Officials believe it's buried under
silk at west All Sound, a bay off Tybee. In
a letter the Assistant Secretary of Defense wrote to a
congressional committee in nineteen sixty six, the Tybee bomb was
identified as a quote complete weapon, but the Air Force
maintained that the bomb did not have a nuclear capsule

(02:56):
and is not considered dangerous. It also said that starting
a search for the bomb would have unwanted effects on
the environment and could be risky considering the explosives in
the bomb. They suggested that it's best left undisturbed. I'm
Eve Jeff Coo and hopefully you know a little more
about history today than you did yesterday. Keep up with

(03:18):
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you know where to find us. Bye. For more podcasts

(03:39):
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