'' Petrel '' departed New London on 6 January 1966 for Holy Loch , Scotland , with in tow . On 17 January , an Air Force B-52 , carrying four unarmed Mk .28 nuclear bombs , collided with a KC-135 off Palomares , Spain . '' Petrel '' was sent to the area to aid in salvage operations and had the delicate task of maintaining position over the bomb . The weapon was brought to the surface on 7 April , by the ROV '' CURV '' , placed on '' Petrel '' , and transferred to the . '' Petrel '' then returned to Charleston
collided
1966 Palomares B-52 crash
USS Petrel (ASR-14)