A U.S. Navy training exercise went wrong Tuesday when two fighter jets reluctantly dropped four bombs into Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which is the world’s largest network of coral structures.
The aircraft carrier of the jets, USS Bonhomme Richard, was supposed to drop the AV-8B harrier jets on the Townshend Island bombing range, but the Navy personnel had to change their plans when they noticed that civilian boats were placed right where they were supposed to drop. They also could not land with the bombs still in tact because they were low on fuel.
They made an impromptu decision to drop them in the marine park, but dropped them over 164 feet away from the coral to reduce damage to the reef. The bombs did not explode.
‘‘There is minimal environmental impact,’’ said Commander William Marks, spokesman for the fleet, according to Boston.com. “It is a safe situation for the environment, for shipping, for navigation.’’
Marine park authorities did not agree and were outraged by the incident, ABC News reports.
"I think it's outrageous that we're letting the US military drop bombs on the World Heritage Great Barrier Reef," said Australian Senator Larissa Waters. "I mean have we gone completely mad? Is this how we look after our World Heritage area now? Letting a foreign power drop bombs on it?"
The jettison was part of the U.S. and Australian military training exercise Talisman Saber, which brought together 28,000 soldiers and began July 15.
The U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and Australian authorities are investigating the mishap further.