Finding the H-bomb that fell into the water off Spain's south coast last Jan. 17 was hard enough. Bringing the stubby, 2,800-lb. weapon to the surface turned out to be an even more difficult problem.
The bomb rested, half shrouded by its own grey parachute, on a steep 70° slope on the ocean floor. The danger was that it might slip farther down the incline into the craggy depths of a 3,000-ft. undersea valley in which the midget submarines could not maneuver. With that consideration in mind, Rear Admiral William S. Guest, 52, commander of the 15-vessel Task Force 65, put...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In