Tybee Island is one of the most popular vacation destinations in Georgia. The beach is less than 30 minutes away from downtown Savannah’s magnificent historic district, and it’s full of amazing attractions. Not only will you find a sandy beach with ocean access, but the island also has great restaurants, shops, and a stunning lighthouse. Millions of visitors come to Tybee Island each year to enjoy the sand and surf, but few are aware there is a secret lurking in the ocean. Did you know there’s a missing atomic bomb in Georgia, just off the coast of Tybee Island?
Tybee Island is one of the most-visited beaches in Georgia. It’s the easternmost point of the state, and with miles of public beach access, there’s a lot to explore here.
Sam DeLong/Flickr
Lurking in the waters near here, however, is a potentially deadly secret.
Ryan McKee/Flickr
In 1958, a United States Air Force practice exercise turned disastrous. An F-86 fighter plane collided with a B-47 bomber that was carrying a 7,600-pound Mark 15 nuclear bomb. To protect the plane crews from explosion, the bomb was jettisoned into the water.
US Atomic Energy Commission/Wikimedia Commons The bomb was released over Wassaw Sound, right at the mouth of the Wilmington River and not far from the city of Tybee Island.
Thankfully, no one was injured in the incident. The bomb did not explode upon ejection from the plane. Ten weeks of search efforts headed by the U.S. military found no trace of the bomb.
Britt Reints/Flickr
It’s never been officially confirmed that the bomb is actually functional. Shortly after the bomb was lost, the government declared it to be harmless, saying it had a dummy trigger.
Pom’/Flickr
However, declassified documents from a 1966 Congressional hearing stated that the bomb was fully functional. According to the then Assistant Secretary of Defense, it had a plutonium trigger and was capable of detonation into a massive fireball of over a mile in radius, with radiation occurring for ten miles in any direction.
jqpubliq/Flickr
Despite several searches, this missing bomb in Georgia has never been recovered.
Tybee Island is one of the most popular vacation destinations in Georgia. The beach is less than 30 minutes away from downtown Savannah’s magnificent historic district, and it’s full of amazing attractions. Not only will you find a sandy beach with ocean access, but the island also has great restaurants, shops, and a stunning lighthouse. Millions of visitors come to Tybee Island each year to enjoy the sand and surf, but few are aware there is a secret lurking in the ocean. Did you know there’s a missing atomic bomb in Georgia, just off the coast of Tybee Island?
Tybee Island is one of the most popular vacation destinations in Georgia. The beach is less than 30 minutes away from downtown Savannah’s magnificent historic district, and it’s full of amazing attractions. Not only will you find a sandy beach with ocean access, but the island also has great restaurants, shops, and a stunning lighthouse. Millions of visitors come to Tybee Island each year to enjoy the sand and surf, but few are aware there is a secret lurking in the ocean. Did you know there’s a missing atomic bomb in Georgia, just off the coast of Tybee Island?
Sam DeLong/Flickr
Ryan McKee/Flickr
US Atomic Energy Commission/Wikimedia Commons
The bomb was released over Wassaw Sound, right at the mouth of the Wilmington River and not far from the city of Tybee Island.
Britt Reints/Flickr
Pom’/Flickr
jqpubliq/Flickr
Were you familiar with the story of the lost Tybee Island bomb? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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Address: Wassaw Sound, Georgia 31410, USA
