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| HMAS Gascoyne on Sydney Harbour in 2009 (Wiki Commons) |
SYDNEY — A joint Australian-US Navy dive team recovered bombs dropped by American forces on the Great Barrier Reef during a training exercise in a delicate deep-sea operation, officials said Sunday.
The divers attached balloons to pull the two unarmed GBU-12 laser guided bombs to the surface in a two day deepwater operation involving strong tides, United States and Australian officials said in a statement.
“The United States and Royal Australian Navies should be congratulated on the successful recovery and disposal of the ordnance, while ensuring that all environmental and safety requirements were met,” said Lieutenant General Ash Power, Australian chief of joint operations.
Two other pieces of inert ordnance — cement-filled BDU-45 dummy bombs used for training with no explosive elements — were left on the ocean floor due to the “difficult diving conditions”.
All four bombs were jettisoned in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park by two US AV-8B Harrier jets during bilateral war games with Australian forces last month after civilian boats strayed into the intended drop zone.
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