Probable WWII Era Depth Charge Found on Beach

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida a civilian walking along the beach found a barnacle covered object that he thought looked suspicious. The man called the St. Johns County Sheriffs office who responded with support from a police Bomb Squad Unit. The Bomb Squad suspected that the item was a WII era depth charge therefore a Navy EOD team was called in for additional support.

A Sheriffs Deputy guarded the device overnight until EOD could arrive the following morning. EOD could not 100% positively identify the type of depth charge (i.e., high explosive, inert or practice) but decided to blow the item in place as a safety precaution. EOD setup a counter charge and waited for the tide to come in so the water could help mitigate the fragmentation. Nearby condominiums were evacuated during the response. EOD reported that a secondary explosion did not occur indicating that the depth charge was inert. No injuries were reported and the beach was reopened to the public.