H-bomb recovered intact after 80 days off the coast of Spain 50 years ago today (Apr 7 1966)

1960s, Cold War


Video: '1966 Palomares B-52 crash'

(Thursday, April 7, 1966; during the Cold War) — After an 80-day operation, the U.S. Navy today finally recovered the hydrogen bomb that the U.S. Air Force had lost off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea following a B-52 crash.

After being raised from the sea by a winch, the bomb was loaded onto the rescue ship USS Petrel for shipment back to the United States.