The Navy Accidentally Bombed The Great Barrier Reef . . . Sort Of

Distrubing News, bombs dropped on Reef

U.S. Drops Bombs on Great Barrier Reef

US drops unarmed bombs on Great Barrier Reef | General Headlines | Comcast

 

Another sensationalized, anti-war-drumming report. Gotta love our media.

The bombs were unarmed, and were dropped away from the reef. A joint US-Australian training mission went awry, and that was their only choice.

Shouldn't have even been a story, IMHO...

 

If they hadnt let the bombs go they would have crashed. What do you think would make bigger headlines. But like it says they were unarmed and was quite some distance from the reef its self.
Just think how cool of reefs they will make 10-20 year's. Thats basicly what will happen like when they droped the old subway cars into the Hudson river

 

The US military said four unarmed bombs were dropped in the Great Barrier Reef marine park. Photograph: Grant V Faint/Getty

Two American fighter jets dropped four unarmed bombs into Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park last week, when a training exercise went wrong, the US Navy said, angering environmentalists.

The two AV-8B Harrier jets, launched from the aircraft carrier USS Bonhomme Richard, each jettisoned an inert practice bomb and an unarmed laser-guided explosive bomb into the World Heritage-listed marine park off the coast of Queensland state on Tuesday, the US 7th Fleet said in a statement on Saturday. The four bombs, weighing a total 1.8 metric tons (4,000 pounds), were dropped into more than 50 meters (164ft) of water, away from coral, to minimize possible damage to the reef, the statement said. None exploded.

The jets, from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, had intended to drop the ordnances on the Townshend Island bombing range, but aborted the mission when controllers reported the area was not clear of hazards. The pilots conducted the emergency jettison because they were low on fuel and could not land with their bomb load, the Navy said.

The emergency happened on the second day of the biennial joint training exercise Talisman Saber, which brings together 28,000 US and Australian military personnel over three weeks. The US Navy and Marine Corps were working with Australian authorities to investigate the incident, the Navy said.

A 7th Fleet spokesman did not immediately respond on Sunday, when asked by email whether the dumping posed any environmental risk.

Australian Senator Larissa Waters, the influential Greens spokeswoman on the Great Barrier Reef, described the dumping of bombs in such an environmentally sensitive area as "outrageous" and said it should not be allowed.

"Have we gone completely mad?" she told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. "Is this how we look after our World Heritage area now? Letting a foreign power drop bombs on it?"

Graeme Dunstan, who is among the environmentalists and anti-war activists demonstrating against the joint exercises, said the mishap proved that the US military could not be trusted to protect the environment.

"How can they protect the environment and bomb the reef at the same time? Get real," Dunstan said from the Queensland coastal town of Yeppoon, near where the war games are taking place.

The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest network of coral structures, is rich in marine life and stretches more than 3,000km (1,800 miles) along Australia's northeast coast.

Credit/Article:
Bombs dropped on Great Barrier Reef marine park | Environment | guardian.co.uk
http://gizmodo.com/the-navy-accidentally-bombed-the-great-barrier-reef-858694397

 

Accidents happen. Good thing they were inert!
Might be a good idea to go fetch them tho...

 

Will never cease to be amazed how these "no harm" incidents bring so much anger, upset and complaining ?

Imagine how upset the afghans or iraqi's must be ? Their bombs go bang as well.

Come on world, smarten up, the bombs were dropped n deep water, no corals or high risk potentials, get over it.

 

Wasn't this a joint Australian/US training mission? If so, the Australians need to take responsibility too. Secondly, weren't the bombs dropped AWAY from the reef? If so, where is the issue?

 

Drama. People can't get enough of it.

 

As I said in another thread on this subject, Just more sensationalized anti-war drum-beating by the media. Should never have even made the news.

 

Lol.... That's hilarious. 164' of water. No damage to corals. Where's the problem.