Archival Research Leads to Potential Explosives Cache

Portsmouth, United Kingdom Researchers conducting archival research on Fort Blockhouse discovered a detailed set of defense plans for the fort from WWII. The fort sits on a peninsula on Gosport Point in the town of Portsmouth and has a rich military history that dates back to 14th Century. The WII defensive plans uncovered called for 2,000 lbs of explosives to be buried under the roadway leading to the fort. In the event the fort was under attack from the Germans and was under the threat of being overrun, the plan called for the explosives to be detonated thereby separating the fort from the mainland.

Researchers were unable to find any evidence that the explosives were ever removed from under the roadway after the war. Geophysical surveys conducted in the area indicate a large anomaly in the area which authorities suspect may be the explosive charges or buried munitions. In order to determine if the anomaly is indeed explosive charges or buried munitions, the 33rd Royal Engineer Regiment will be conducting intrusive operations in the area. The intrusive operation is expected to last five days and a 270-meter exclusion zone has been established around the worksite. A blast barrier has been built of steel cages and 400 tons of sand for use during the operation. Restrictions have been put in place to limit access to the surrounding area including the marina during the intrusive operations.