Ensenada fishermen make an unusual catch: A US military torpedo

A U.S. Navy torpedo lost during a training exercise off Southern California drifted into Mexican waters and was recovered near Ensenada before being returned to U.S. authorities, Mexico’s Navy said.

The device was a nonexplosive MK 54 REXTORP practice torpedo designed for training launches from aircraft or ships, the Mexican Navy said in a Monday press release detailing the recovery and return.

🚨 #BajaCalifornia | Un torpedo apareció a la deriva frente a las costas de #Ensenada y fueron pescadores quienes alertaron a la Marina. El artefacto fue localizado a 42.7 kilómetros al suroeste del puerto.

La @SEMAR_mx confirmó que se trata de un torpedo de prácticas, utilizado… pic.twitter.com/PxTZ1ToGgo

— Michelle Rivera (@michelleriveraa) September 17, 2026

The device was lost by U.S. Navy personnel on Sept. 2 and spotted adrift two weeks later by fishermen roughly 20 nautical miles southwest of Ensenada, Baja California, the Mexican Navy said.

The fishermen’s report of an object with ballistic characteristics prompted the Mexican Navy’s Ensenada Search, Rescue and Maritime Surveillance Station to send a small boat to investigate.

Naval personnel recovered the device last week and secured it at the Second Naval Zone’s facilities, noting that it posed no danger to navigation or the maritime community.

According to information provided by the U.S. Defense Attaché, the device belonged to the U.S. Navy and was lost about 18 nautical miles west of San Clemente Island during the Sept. 2 training exercise.

Mexico’s Navy said poor weather hampered the search and the battery for the torpedo’s location system later expired.

After U.S. authorities confirmed the device was theirs, the commander of Mexico’s Second Naval Zone handed it over to personnel from the U.S. Naval Attaché in Mexico for transfer to U.S. authorities.

The fishermen initially believed the object might be floating seaweed, according to ABC Noticias.

“We thought it was sargassum. We said: Let’s go fish for dorado,” one fisherman said.