Between 1964 and 1970, the Department of Defense implemented a plan to dispose of unwanted munitions. The weapons were loaded onto ships, and the ships were then sunk off the coasts of Florida and California.
Most of the scuttled ships carried explosive ordinance. But four of the vessels contained chemical weapons, such as mustard gas and nerve agents.
In 1969 the press began reporting on the program, which was called Operation CHASE. Public outcry and international pressure finally forced the military to stop dumping weapons into the ocean.
In 1972 an International Ban came into effect which ensured the US military couldn’t resume the program.
