10. A nuclear bomb was dropped in the Savannah River during a simulated combat mission collision
During a simulated combat mission from Homestead Air Force Base on February 5, 1958, a USAF B-47 bomber carrying a MK-15 nuclear weapon without its fissile core collided at 3:30 am with a F-86 fighter plane. While the F-86’s pilot ejected and parachuted to safety, due to the nature of the cargo carried by the B-47 it was instead redirected to Hunter Air Force Base, Georgia, for an emergency landing. However due to the condition of the bomber post-collision the aircraft was unable to sufficiently reduce its airspeed to ensure a safe landing, and after three aborted attempts to land was ordered to jettison the bomb rather than risk a high explosive detonation at Hunter AFB.
The bomb was ejected at 7,200 feet at an aircraft speed of 180-190 knots near Tybee Island, Georgia, several miles from the mouth of the Savannah River in Wassaw Sound. No detonation was recorded upon impact. However the precise impact point remains unknown, with the Department of Defense noting “the best estimate…was determined to be 31 degrees 54′ 15″ North, 80 degrees 54′, 54″ West”, and an extensive nine week search conducted by divers and underwater demolition technicians across a 3 square-mile area using galvanic drags and sonar devices failing to recover the weapon, which was subsequently classified as irretrievably lost.