In 1966 Guest was commander of Task Force 65 of the United States Sixth Fleet when a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber collided with a tanker and crashed near Palomares , Spain . It was carrying four thermonuclear weapons , one of which fell into the Mediterranean Sea . Guest deployed and commanded an 18-vessel US Navy task force , helped by civilian-operated submersibles '' Aluminaut '' and '' Alvin '' which eventually found the bomb , which was recovered intact . Guest was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal
B-52 bomber collided with a tanker
1966 Palomares B-52 crash
William S. Guest