Overview
- Mexican Navy personnel located and recovered the device about 21.3 nautical miles (39.4 km) southwest of Ensenada and handed it to U.S. naval attaché representatives for transfer to U.S. authorities on Sept. 21.
- The United States Navy says the MK 54 REXTORP was lost during a training exercise roughly 18 nautical miles west of San Clemente Island on Sept. 2 and that its onboard locator battery later expired, which hindered tracking.
- Semar officials said analysis of oceanographic and weather conditions showed prevailing winds and the coastal current between San Diego and Ensenada drove the floating torpedo into Mexico’s exclusive economic zone.
- The recovered unit is a recoverable exercise torpedo used for training and is not fitted with live warheads, which lowered the immediate safety risk to fishing crews and other vessels.
- Local reports said fishermen first spotted the floating object and alerted authorities, and officials described the recovery and handover as an example of routine binational naval coordination to manage maritime hazards caused by drifting training gear.