US navy to lead reef bomb recovery mission

The US navy says it's still working on a plan to recover four inert bombs that were dropped on the Great Barrier Reef during a training exercise.

The United States navy will lead a mission to recover four bombs dropped on the Great Barrier Reef during war games earlier this month.

Two US war planes had to drop the inert bombs after civilian vessels wandered into an area set aside for joint US-Australia training exercises a fortnight ago.

The US 7th Fleet will lead efforts to recover the bombs, which officials say are in no danger of exploding.

Commanding Officer Daniel Dusek says the incident was unavoidable and the US navy will work with Australian authorities to ensure the weapons are retrieved.

"The status is still being reviewed by the US Navy and the US government and the Australian government," he told the ABC.

"They're still trying to discuss and determine the best course of action, the best plan."

The US navy will reveal more details of the operation soon.


Share

1 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world