Barrier Reef: US Navy May Retrieve Bombs
The two AV-8B Harrier jets launched from aircraft carrier USS Bonhomme Richard each jettisoned an inert bomb and an unarmed explosive bomb on the World Heritage site on Tuesday, the US 7th Fleet said.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the government manager of the 133,360 square mile (345,400 square km) protected zone, said in a statement that identifying options for the "rapid recovery" of the bombs so that they could pose no risk to the marine park was "a high priority".
But the authority also said the ordnances posed a "low risk to the marine environment".
"Based on where the ordnance have been dropped in a location that is in water around 164ft (50m) deep, about 19 miles (30km) from the nearest reef and 31 miles (50km) from the shoreline, the immediate impact on the marine environment is thought to be negligible," the statement said.
US 7th Fleet spokesman Lt David Levy said on Monday that the Navy was currently reviewing the possibility of retrieving the ordnances in consultation with Australian authorities.
"If the park service and the government agencies of Australia determine that they want those recovered, then we will coordinate with them on that recovery process," he said.
The four bombs, weighing a total of 1.8 tons (4,000lb), were dropped into more than 164ft of water away from coral to minimise damage to the reef, the US 7th Fleet said.
The jets from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit had intended to drop them on the Townshend Island bombing range, but aborted the mission when controllers reported the area was not clear of hazards.
Both aircraft were running low on fuel and could not land with the bombs on board.
US Navy Commander William Marks told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Monday that the crews detected civilian vessels inside the drop zone.
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