Air Force: Tests for Lost Nuke Found No 'significant' Radiation

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBEX3LGG7E.html

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Government testing for possible signs of a nuclear bomb lost off the Georgia coast in 1958 found no significant radiation, the Air Force said in a letter to a Georgia newspaper.
Last September, government scientists took radiation readings and soil samples in waters near Tybee Island after a retired Air Force pilot who has searched privately for the bomb reported finding possible radioactive clues.

The government has not released a final report, but a letter by Air Force Col. James DeFrank, written in response to a story by The Associated Press, said government tests did not match radiation levels reported by Derek Duke.

"Since the interagency team did not find the 'significant' radiation levels Mr. Duke's team reported, the focus shifted to the arduous task of analyzing data to determine what the samples did contain," wrote DeFrank, the Air Force deputy director of public affairs.

Boy, thats a relief...NOT!

[punpirate]

1. my guess is that...

... the bomb in question is long gone, and was picked up by a submarine (ours or theirs) long ago.

Many of the beaches in the South contain very small amounts of thorium and smaller amounts of uranium, as monazite. Depending upon the concentration of monazite in the sand, the radiation level can exceed normal background.

[FloridaPat]

2. I remember in the early 70's the navy lost something at sea and said

there was no danger. A friend of mine was a chemist and when he read the list of chemicals that were released, he called them liars. I don't think anything has changed for the better in the last 35 years.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

3. Why would the military lie? Just to influence public opinion?

Psy-ops is their first resort while war is the 'last resort.'

Remember this when considering candidates in the future.

[Robb]

4. My understanding is it's uranium and TNT...

...no plutonium capsule to start the chain reaction. So the real danger would be people mucking around with it, eh? :shrug:

[oneighty]

5. We (EOD Unit Two)

Charleston, South Carolina spent many weeks searching for that weapon. It was thought to be buried in the mud/sand in shallow waters.

If the parachute did not open when jettisoned it might be buried very deep in the bottom or in pieces.

I did not personally go on that job as I was on leave at the time (Whoooo Hoooo).

Reports of the CLASSIFIED search efforts were front page news in Savannah and Charleston complete with pictures of some of the EOD divers.

Exciting times.

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