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A live missile fished out of the Gulf? Not so much, officials say.
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by Alan McBride
MADEIRA BEACH, FLA. -- A commercial fisherman reeled in a steel fish in the Gulf of Mexico, authorities said Tuesday.
Rodney Saloman hooked an air-to-air guided missile, and kept it on his boat for about 10 days before returning to port Monday, according to accounts from Saloman and the local Sheriff's office.
Sheriff's officials said they were convinced shortly after the find that the warhead was a 'live' one.
Technicians dispatched to dismantle the weapon, however, said it was actually a test missile, used in the eastern Gulf Weapons Testing Range. The weapon, they said, only had a dummy warhead.
The missile was discovered in a section of the Gulf used by the Air Force and the Navy for weapons training; a section of the gulf near Eglin Air Force Base, approximately 50 miles offshore, officials said.
Military authorities said the test missile was packing some proprietary technology, and they sent a team to retrieve it from inside the missile's casing.
As far as 'hot' weapons go, officials say this was just another 'fish story.'
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