Hong Kong, China Construction workers in Hong Kong were shocked to unearth a 1,000-pound WWII-era bomb. The senior bomb disposal officer on scene, Tony Chow Shek-kin, said that he believes the bomb was American made, and was most likely dropped into Hong Kong during the Japanese occupation of the city during the war.
Below is an article from Stuart A. Steinberg. Stuart is a retired EOD Specialist with experience in military criminal law, teaching, and private investigation. We thank Stuart for his interesting article, and encourage others to submit articles. If you are interested in submitting an article to our site, please email Rhonda Crowley at rhonda@ordnanceholdings.com.
I have been a veterans service officer with Vietnam Veterans of America since 1978, and United Spinal Association since 2005. I served as an EOD specialist from 1968-1971, including 18 months in Vietnam. I was wounded twice, decorated for heroism, and have several awards for meritorious achievement during ground combat operations. I am the Veterans Benefits Coordinator for the National EOD Association and am on their Board of Directors. Since retiring in 2004, I have been serving as a volunteer assisting my fellow veterans, their widows and children, and active duty military personnel with claims for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, military medical boards, physical evaluation boards and applications to correct records.
Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines Fishermen off the coast of Cagayan de Oro City hauled in more than they were expecting when they came across two large metal objects while out fishing. Believing the metal to be scrap, the fishermen dragged the metal into their boat, hoping to sell the metal to make some extra money. Upon closer inspection, however, the fishermen could tell the metal objects looked like they might be explosives and reported the find to authorities.
The Cagayan de Oro City Police Office EOD unit examined the metal objects and found them to be UXO, likely from the WWII era. The area the fishermen had found the objects in was a dock for American soldiers during WWII and the EOD team believes that more UXO may be present in that area. EOD stressed that in similar circumstances, civilians should not touch or move similar objects, and should report them to authorities to be cleared before attempting to move them.
Richfield, Utah A local resident was combing through her elderly father's belongings when she came across some old ordnance items. She rightfully contacted authorities immediately.
Warrington, England EOD teams were called to a construction site in Warrington twice in a 12-hour time period. After the first WWII UXO was discovered (shown below), the Royal Logistic Corps Bomb Disposal team was called in and unfortunately had to wait overnight before being able to detonate the device. For nearby homes, this meant evacuation; some to family and others into provided hotels. The nearby street remained closed overnight with a guard posted overnight.
In response to the UXO Related History Remembered article posted in our December UXO E-Newsletter, NATEODA Historian, LTC Robert E. Leiendecker, USA Retired, provided UXOInfo.com with the following descriptions of the unidentified photos. A special thanks to him for sharing with our readers.
Mr. Leindecker explained, "The first photo is the TM-11/M-1 Thermal Discharger set up for operation. It was designed to discharge the condensers in German Rheinmetall electric bomb fuzes. In the background is the brass steam boiler placed on a portable field stove. It holds water that produces the steam and passes it through the rubber hose you see to the discharge head which is attached by magnets over the fuze head. The steam would penetrate the fuze head through the spaces around the electrical contacts, condense and short out the fuze. The bomb is a German 50 kg HE bomb with screamers, or flutes, attached to the fins, which were often called the Flutes of Jericho. The discharger would work on the (17), (17)A, (17) B, (49) series, 50b (or "Y" fuze), 59, (59)A, 79, 79(A), (89)and (89)B fuzes."
Fraserburgh, Scotland A munition item was discovered by a Fraserburgh citizen, who immediately brought it to the police station. Calling upon the Army EOD team, the police worked alongside the EOD team to investigate the device.
EOD determined that the munition dated back to WWI and determined that it should be detonated. The device was transported to a Fraserburgh beach by EOD where it was safely detonated.
Zamboanga City, Philippines Eight people died in a UXO explosion in the Philippines. According to officials, a 21-year-old man, Marcelo Antogan, found a rusty mortar in a local river and took it to an open field to tinker with. Believing there may be gold or other valuables inside, the man began attempting to open the UXO. Using a hammer and repeatedly hitting the device, Antogan accidentally set off the explosive.
The detonation killed six people at the scene, and two more victims died from injuries in the hospital. Five others were injured and were hospitalized for their subsequent injuries. It is unknown whether the mortar was a WWII relic or a more recent explosive from fighting between the government and Muslim rebels.
West Sussex, England Employees at an English real estate agency discovered something frightening as they prepared to move to a new location. While in the basement of the office building, employees found a grenade with pin in place, wedged between the floor and a pipe.
The grenade was photographed and the building and surrounding workplaces were evacuated for safety. The photo was sent to EOD personnel for identification. An EOD team arrived on scene and was able to verify that the grenade was inert and hence did not present an explosive threat. Although inert, EOD removed the munition from the office basement for disposal.
Northamptonshire, England Work is beginning to remove munitions from a play area near the Weedon Barracks. The munitions, discovered in July 2016, are believed to be in excess of 6,600 tons. The area near the playing field is known to house WWII ordnance, most commonly German munitions. Despite the large scope of the project, the team removing the UXO hopes to have the area cleared by February, 2018.
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