In 1965, a nuclear bomb fell into the Philippine sea.

Its still
missing.

On December 5, 1965, a month after the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderogas departure from
a U.S. naval base in Subic Bay, a Broken Arrow incident (i.e. an accident involving a nuclear
weapon) occurred. The attack jet United States Navy Douglas A-4E Skyhawk, manned by
American pilot Lieutenant Douglas M. Webster, accidentally fell off the carrier while being rolled
from the level 2 hangar to the level 2 elevator. Unfortunately, the Skyhawk was carrying a
nuclear weapon at that time, specifically the Mk. 43 free-fall bomb which contains at least a
megatons worth of nuclear explosive. The accident happened just 80 miles from Okinawa. The
pilot as well as the aircraft and the nuclear bomb were never recovered, and its not until the
1980s that the Pentagon revealed the loss of such weapon.

1965 Philippine Sea A-4 incident

The 1965 Philippine Sea A-4 crash was a Broken Arrow incident in which a United States Navy Douglas
A-4E Skyhawk attack aircraft carrying a nuclear weapon fell into the sea from the aircraft carrier
USS Ticonderoga. On 5 December 1965, 31 days after Ticonderoga's departure from U.S. Naval Base Subic
Bay in the Philippines, the attack jet fell over the side during a training exercise while being rolled from the
number 2 hangar bay to the number 2 elevator. The pilot, Lieutenant (junior grade) Douglas M. Webster; the
aircraft, Douglas A-4E BuNo 151022 of Attack Squadron 56; and the B43 nuclear bombwere never recovered from
the 16,000 ft (4,900 m) depth. The accident occurred 80 miles (130 km) from Okinawa. Ticonderoga had
aboard Carrier Air Wing Five during this cruise, with two squadrons of Skyhawks, the other being VA-144. It was
not until 1989 that the Pentagon revealed the loss of the one-megaton bomb. The revelation inspired a
diplomatic inquiry from Japan requesting details.
The American Mark-43 nuclear bomb. Source: US Department
of Defense.