Striving For A Peaceful Life
A simple, uncomplicated life is what many of us strive for. The average person would like to keep their personal life private without the interference of bigger powers like the government or the US Navy. But some people aren't always that lucky.
This story is about Darko Bigava, who had planned to go fishing so that he could sell his catch. He never thought he would have to worry about military affairs or politics, but one day changed all that. He had no idea how much his life would change.
Following In Their Footsteps
Darko Bigava lived on the southern coast of Croatia on the Elaphiti Islands and worked as a fisherman. His grandfather had taught his father to fish, so it made sense for him to follow in their footsteps. He had been in love with fishing since he was young.
He would never have thought this his future self would encounter the world's most significant political and military powers.
A Simple Life
Bigava was so in love with fishing that he couldn't envision doing anything else. He was happy with his simple life, spending every day readying his nets and boats. He would spend his time in Elaphiti's surrounding waters catching fish to sell.
He woke up every morning prepared to do the same thing every day. He had spent years following the same routine and never thought that something would come along to change it.
Regular Customers
His job was simple - wait for the nets to be filled with fish and return home with them. He had spent years building up his clientele, so he had a few regular customers.
They bought from him to supply for their stores or restaurants, but Bigava never thought he would have to deal with the heads of the US Navy one day. But he would be surprised when it happened.
Financial Struggles
Bigava's finances weren't in the best shape at the time of the incident. Tourists and visitors had stopped visiting the Elaphiti Islands when the pandemic hit. The restaurants were drastically impacted by this, which meant they didn't buy much from Bigava anymore.
His regulars wouldn't bring him enough income, so he had to find new customers to sell the same amount of fish he was used to selling. If he didn't, he wouldn't be able to make the month's expenses.
Worried
He spent the morning of the incident readying his boat, but his mind was thinking about his customers, the bill, prices, and numbers.
His mind was elsewhere as he waited for the net to be filled. He worriedly made calculations in his head. How was he going to make it through the difficult month ahead?
Holding On
He was lost in his thoughts but was ripped out of them when he felt his boat shaking. It had come out of nowhere, but he held onto his boat to save himself from going overboard.
He hadn't experienced something like this for a long time, but he immediately knew what the trembling meant.
Unusual
He thought his nets must've caught something large and heavy for his boat to shake like that. He usually caught small fish, so it didn't happen often. It would take him a whole day to fill his net and get heavy.
But his gut told him that this time was unlike any other.
What Had Caused It?
He was nervous as he rushed to grab hold of his net to pull it to the surface. The shake had been violent, and he wondered what had caused it.
Despite it being the wrong season, he wondered if it was a large tuna fish. He would get good money for the valuable fish if he managed to sell it to a fishmonger or restaurant owner. He gave one last heave to pull the net up, and his eyes widened at the sight.
Torn Nets
He had never seen anything like it and grew curious about the large, orange box. He found a sensor attached to it but had no idea what it was or what it was used for.
He was displeased to find that the object had torn through his nets. He would have to repair them but was unsure if he had enough money. He couldn't fish with them now, and he could tell it was getting late. He took the strange object home to think about what to do next.
Who Owned It?
The first thing he did about it was to post an ad online and contact one of the local newspapers. He didn't know what to do with the object or who it belonged to, so he could only hope for its owner to try to get it back and pay for the damage it had caused to his nets.
After a few days, someone got in contact with him. And it was someone he would have never expected to.
The US Navy Steps In
On another day of fishing, someone contacted Bigava on his boat’s radio. It was a man who claimed to speak on behalf of the US Navy.
In a broken Croatian, the man claimed that the object he had found belonged to the navy and demanded that Bigava give it back. Bigava didn't know if it was a joke; at this point, he didn't care. All he wanted was to get rid of the thing and get his nets repaired, which is why he gave a shocking response to whoever was speaking to him on the radio.
Bigava’s Reply
“Look, pal,” he said, “I don’t care if this big orange box belongs to the US Navy or to Admiral Nelson. All I know is it has torn up my nets, and it’s going to cost me three grand to fix them, so no one is getting this thing until I get the money to repair my nets.”
He then received a call on his cell phone. He picked it up without knowing what to expect.
They Weren’t Giving Up
Again, it was the US Navy representative speaking broken Croatian. He repeated the same thing he had told Bigava over the radio, and the fisherman had to repeat his point once again. Then, the US Navy man hung up.
Would that be the end of it?
They Got To An Agreement
Luckily for all involved, it wasn’t. Eventually, the Croatian Coast Guard agreed to pay for the damages on the condition that the US Navy would recoup them. And Bigava dropped the mysterious object in front of a US Navy ship.
However, it was never released to the public what that enigmatic orange box was. Bigava resumed his simple and comfortable life and decided not to worry about the matter any further, perhaps for his own good.
A Similar Find
But Bigava wouldn't be the only person to find a mysterious object in the ocean while minding his own business. Married couple and deep sea divers Aaron and Camila would stumble onto the same fate.
Unknown to them, their finding would open decades worth of old wounds, sending more than the US navy after them.
Marine Biology
Aaron and Camila were marine biologists hailing from California. They had made a name for themselves as skilled deep-sea divers who worked diligently to study and save marine life.
Camila held a Ph.D. from Duke in marine biology while her husband, a celebrated diver, was pursuing his masters in the same. The two led the perfect life, finding a way to incorporate their hobby of diving and working as biologists. But their lives were about to change.
Their Focus
As part of their research and study, Aaron and Camila flew to Hawaii's Honolulu to study the local marine life.
Aaron's dissertation focused on studying the uniqueness of the area's marine life, while Camila examined the effects of the local volcanic terrain on ocean life. But they would end up uncovering more than they could stomach.
A Normal Day
The day the incident occurred was like many in Aaron and Camila's life. The trip to Honolulu was the perfect mix of work and vacation, and the couple did their best to enjoy the ambiance that came with being in Hawaii.
With their gear set, they took a local boat into Honolulu's azure blue waters and got ready to start their study. They had no idea what horrors awaited them below the water's surface.
Surveying The Area
Aaron and Camila started by surveying the area and mapping it for objective analysis. After a quick audio log, they got into their scuba suits and plunged into the welcoming waters.
Aaron took the lead as he was more practiced in diving than his wife, who always dusted him when it came to biology. He was glad to get his moment to shine. He didn't know what he was about to uncover.
A Wonderful Career
Aaron led the dive, enjoying the ocean as it shimmered around him. The water was a mixture of light blue and Veridian green, with the latter color dominating the areas near the ocean floor.
The floor was a beautiful orange, red, and yellow, with countless species of fish and plant life dotting every inch of it. Aaron smiled inside his mask, glad he had found a career that brought him so much joy.
Going After Him
Camila dove in after Aaron, following him as he swept the ocean floor with his equipment. She'd taught him all the essential bits of sample taking and was proud to see how he was putting all he'd learned into good use.
She knew he was proud of her skills as a diver, too, and was always looking for ways to learn more from him so he could be prouder. But out of nowhere, Aaron stopped holding up a fist, a clear sign for Camila to halt.
What Is That?
"What's that?" Aaron's voice came through Camila's mask's ultrasound receiver. He was pointing at a large object in the water, a massive tube covered by ocean debris, sand, and plant life.
"I don't know," Camila answered nervously. Aaron gestured for her to move closer, and she did, swimming down to where he was. She couldn't tell what it was as close as she was to the object.
An Oil Barrel
"It looks like an oil barrel," Aaron said as he swam closer. He studied it for a minute. "A part of it is buried into the ocean bed," he reported, handing over his sampling tools to Camila.
"Wanna dig it out?" Camila asked, already knowing what her husband was thinking. She was thinking the same. "Do I?" Aaron chuckled.
The Words, Aaron, What Do They Mean?
The two began scraping the debris off the massive cylinder, but Aaron stopped, asking his wife to back up. He pointed at some words on the cylinder that sent a chill up his spine.
When Aaron and Camila started digging out the object, they realized it was bigger than they had imagined. But excavating it, they stumbled upon a few words that revealed what they were dealing with.
Mk-15
"Mk-15 nuclear explosive," the cylinder inscription read, and Aaron immediately asked Camila to swim back to the surface.
He followed her as fast as he could, hopping onto their boat and hurrying back to shore. He pulled out his phone and called the local authorities, knowing such a weapon was too dangerous to remain where it was. Little did he know what he was stepping into.
Calling The Police
The police flocked the beach in no time, bringing in the coast guard and the military to ascertain the credibility of Aaron and Camila's claims. What they found left everyone in awe.
The military confirmed that the cylinder was indeed a nuclear explosive that could flatten a massive part of Honolulu if it went off. But the story behind it was what was exciting and heartbreaking at the same time.
Send In The Experts
The military sent in explosive experts to study the cylinder before they could take any further steps. The report the experts brought back was that the cylinder was a 3.8-megaton explosive that was still armed.
They also detailed that it was decades old, seeing that it was made in the 1950s. This could only mean one thing.
Pearl Harbor
The explosive seems to have been lost after the events of Pearl Harbor, a tragedy that shook Honolulu to its core.
After further investigation, it was discovered that the warhead had been lost during a simulated combat mission in the fifties, where two pilots collided in the air. One. One dropped the explosive in the water to avoid setting it off.
Taking It Away
The military sent in Navy seals to try and deactivate it so it could be carried out of the water. But after years of being dormant, would the device allow it?
The seals were successful in their endeavor, although it took forty-eight hours of careful and strenuous work. The warhead was successfully transported out of its decades-old bed onto a safer site where it won't harm anyone.
Disclaimer: To protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.