Beachgoer Looking for Shells Finds UXO

Cape Lookout, North Carolina A visitor collecting shells along the northern end of North Cove Banks came across a suspect munition item that washed ashore. The man reported the find to the park rangers who setup an exclusion zone around the area and reported the find to the police. The police responded with technical support from an EOD team from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. EOD identified the munition shown below as a WWII era unexploded bomb. EOD safely detonated the bomb in place with a counter charge. The beach area of the park was re-opened to the public shortly after the successful disposal procedure was completed.


Vestys Beach

Beachgoer Finds Unexploded Demolition Charge

Darwin, Australia A beachgoer walking on Vestys beach came across an item he thought looked suspicious. The man decided to move the item to a more remote location away from the beach before calling the police to report the find. Police responded with technical support provided by an Australian Defence Force EOD team. EOD identified the item as a 1 pound demolition charge (MK AN1). EOD safely removed the charge from the beach for safe and proper disposal. An investigation is underway to determine how the unexploded charge ended up on the beach.


Vestys Beach

Munition Washes Ashore At State Park

Lewes, Delaware Park rangers at the Henlopen State Park discovered an old rusted military shell just above the high tide line of the Atlantic Ocean . The park rangers called the Delaware State Police who responded with an Air Force EOD team out of Dover Air Force Base. The munition could not be positively identified due to the amount of rust and barnacles on the item but authorities suspect that it is a WWI era mortar shell.

EOD safely relocated the munition from the area for further analysis and proper disposal. The beach was closed for several hours during the incident but was reopened to the public shortly after the munition was transported off-site.


DE Beach Mortar

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Beachgoer Finds Munition

Hampton Bays, New York A beachgoer on Ponquogue Beach discovered an old rusted mortar round near the concession stand. The lifeguards reported the find to the police who responded with the Suffolk County Police Bomb Squad and Emergency Response Section. Police evacuated the area and a bomb disposal technical in a bomb suit inspected the item. The bomb disposal technician identified the munition as an "intact mortar" (size and nomenclature not reported). The bomb squad safely disposed of the munition without incident and reopened the beach to the public. An investigation is underway to determine how the munition ended up at the beach.

NY Beach Mortar

Fishing Trawler Nets Munitions

Studland, United Kingdom A fishing trawler pulled up a six foot long pipe like object with fins on one end in one of their nets. Concerned that the item may be a UXO, the Captain lowered the item back into the water and placed a buoy to mark the spot. He then immediately contacted the Coastguard who responded with technical support from a bomb disposal team based from Portsmouth. EOD searched the area around the buoy with an underwater magnetomer from their boat but were unable to reacquire the item. EOD stopped short of sending a dive team into the waters to conduct a manual search for the suspect UXO. The area and waters around Studland are known to contain munitions from when the area was used for gunnery practice during WWII.

Fishing Trawler Nets UXO Crew Unaware of Hazard

Cape Agulhas, South Africa A commercial fishing trawler fishing 90 miles off-shore pulled up a large old rusted metal cylinder. The crew had no idea what the strange object from the sea was but standard procedure was not to drop heavy objects brought up by their nets back overboard unless they were too dangerous to transport back. When the ship returned from sea, cranes were used to unload any large debris items found. Assuming that the rusted heavy barrel like object was nothing more than debris, the crew secured it to the deck and continued to fish.

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Navy EOD Responds to WWII Era UXO Found in River

Springfield, Massachusetts an environmental contractor conducting a survey of the Connecticut River came across a munition item on the river bottom. The find was reported to the state police who responded with the Springfield Fire Department. The police called the military for support which resulting in the Navy dispatching an EOD from Newport, Rhode Island to respond.

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Unexpended Marine Marker Washes Ashore

Dauphin Island, Alabama a woman walking along the beach near her home found a munition item floating close to shore. The woman called the local fire department whom responded and pulled the item out of the water for further review. After identifying the item was military ordnance, the fire department called the military for assistance. Due to the location of the find, the Air Force EOD Team from Hurlburt Field in Florida was tasked to respond.

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Fishing Vessel Nets UXO EOD Responds

Gosport, United Kingdom A fishing vessel brought up a UXO in its nets between Stokes Bay, Gosport and Ryde on the Isle of Wight. The captain of the fishing boat reported the find to the Coastguard who responded with a Royal Navy EOD team. EOD inspected the UXO and decided to lower it back in the water for the time being. EOD plans to schedule a dive team to conduct a controlled detonation of the item in the upcoming days. A temporary exclusion zone has been established around the area and a notice to mariners has been issued.

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