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U.S. Navy finds debris from Chinese spy balloon off Myrtle Beach coast

By WSOCTV.com News Staff

Spy balloon found U.S. Navy divers have recovered parts of what military officials have called a Chinese spy surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach. (Via Twitter/U.S. Fleet Forces @USFleetForces)

By WSOCTV.com News Staff

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — U.S. Navy divers have recovered parts of what military officials have called a Chinese spy surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach.

The balloon was spotted over Charlotte on Saturday morning as it made its way through the Carolinas. Later in the day, it was shot down by an F-22 fighter jet missile about 7 miles off the South Carolina coast.

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On Tuesday, the U.S. Fleet Forces Command tweeted that Navy sailors had found the balloon off the Myrtle Beach coast.

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Before it was found, authorities in both Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach posted on social media about the possibility of some of the debris washing up on shore. They asked anyone who saw debris to call local authorities and urged people not to touch, move, or remove it.

Officials believed debris was scattered over a several-mile-large area of ocean where the water is about 50 feet deep. The search area was about 6 miles off the coast from the Apache pier, just south of North Myrtle Beach.

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Both the U.S. Navy and the Coast Guard were involved in recovery efforts. They expected to find quite a bit of debris -- the size of at least two school buses.

Faherty was told the military planned to use divers and possibly a crane during the recovery.

PHOTOS: Navy recovers Chinese balloon debris off SC coast

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Navy recovers Chinese balloon debris off SC coast A U.S. Air Force pilot takes off in an F-22 Raptor at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, Feb. 4, 2023. Active duty, Reserve, National Guard, and civilian personnel planned and executed the operation, and partners from the U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Aviation Administration, and Federal Bureau of Investigation ensured public safety throughout the operation and recovery efforts. (Airman 1st Class Mikaela Smith/U.S. Air Force)

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