HT6. The Bomb the Ocean Tried to Bury — And Humanity Just Dragged Back – lighttopix

Both planes were destroyed in the sky. Debris rained down over land and sea. Seven crew members lost their lives.

But the true danger wasn’t just the crash.

It was what fell with it.

Four Nuclear Bombs Lost

The B-52 had been carrying four nuclear weapons—each capable of unimaginable destruction.

When the aircraft broke apart, all four bombs were released.

Here’s what happened next:

• Two bombs fell onto land and their conventional explosives detonated on impact. While there was no nuclear explosion, the blasts spread radioactive plutonium across the surrounding area.
• One bomb landed relatively intact on land, discovered without major damage.
• The fourth bomb vanished into the sea.

That missing bomb immediately became the center of one of the most intense search operations in history.