Redstone Arsenal, Alabama A hunter walking through a wooded area near 565 on Redstone stumbled across a cache of ordnance which included 20mm and 40mm rounds and a variety of fuzes. The hunter who had previously participated in a UXO awareness class, a requirement for hunters wishing to hunt on the base; called 911 to report the find.
Cambridge, United Kingdom A father and his two boys magnet fishing from a kayak in the River Cam pulled up a rusty hand grenade. The man paddled back to shore and called the police who responded with a bomb disposal team to safely dispose of the grenade.
Wailea, Hawaii An unexploded M49A2, 60mm mortar found during excavation at a Wailea residence was disposed of by an Army EOD team. Following the find, nearby residences were evacuated and Hoomua Drive was temporarily closed by the Maui Police Department's bomb squad.
The mortar was moved to an open field, where it was safely counter charged by EOD. The road was reopened, and residents were allowed back into the area.
Lymington, New Forest, United Kingdom Police responded to a call for a munition that was reportedly uncovered by a dog digging in the sand. Officials closed the section of beach while awaiting arrival of an EOD team.
The Portsmouth EOD Detachment of the Royal Navy confirmed the item was an unexploded 5-in WWII Naval projectile. The item was safely blown up on-site in a controlled explosion and the cordon was lifted.
South Ayrshire, Scotland There was some unexpected excitement on one of Scotland's famous golf courses when maintenance crews at Royal Troon Golf Club discovered more than just some lost golf balls. Several UXO were found on the course, which has hosted a number of Championship events over the years.
A Royal Navy EOD team responded to remove the unidentified items. A Scotland police spokesperson said, "police were called after a number of unexploded military ordnance devices were discovered on the Portland Course which was undergoing maintenance at Royal Troon Golf Course, Troon. The Explosives Ordnance Division of the Royal Navy is at the scene and will safely remove the items and carry out a controlled explosion this afternoon at a safe location away from the golf course."
Federalsburg, Maryland The Federalsburg Police Department and Maryland State Fire Marshal Bomb Squad responded to a vacant residential house for a report of a military ordnance.
According to the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office, "the property manager was removing debris from the backyard when he unearthed the military ordnance. He notified the police who contacted the bomb squad."
Teesdale, United Kingdom A woman working in her garden found what is believed to be an old cannonball, possibly dating from the English Civil War. Concerned that the item might be dangerous, the woman reported the find to the police.
The police responded along with the bomb squad who safely transported the cannonball off-site for further analysis. After carrying out an x-ray, the bomb squad determined it was inert.
Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana A new employee at the Berrien Springs County Plaza Museum in Berrien Springs, Michigan got some interesting "on-the-job" training when he came across an artifact marked with a sticky-note stating, "Danger, it may be active." The curator was sorting through old inventory when he found the Civil War cannon ball with the note attached.
He immediately notified the museum director, Rhiannon Cizon. Cizon's first thought was, "This is not good." Cizon went on to say, "He then told me that there were three more where this came from." Other munitions were also discovered that had the potential of still being active.
Grissom Air Reserve Base EOD was then notified. "We could tell from photos that the munitions had the potential of being live," said Staff Sgt. Rogerito Miravete-Disantis, 434th Civil Engineer Squadron EOD technician and team lead for the incident. "This type of cannon ball in particular often contains an internal charge that can be unstable due to the age and condition of the device."
Oulu, Finland EOD technicians responded to a Red Cross charity thrift shop in Oulu after employees discovered a grenade among donated items dropped off for sale. Oulu Police tweeted, "The building has been evacuated and police are guarding the area. The Finnish Defence Forces have begun preparations to remove the hand grenade."
Oulu Police Commissioner Juha Niemelä said that it was not immediately clear whether the grenade was functional or even genuine. "But I'd say that it looks like a real hand grenade," Niemelä said. The shop was closed while EOD safely removed the device.
Dunaegyhaza, Hungary Hungarian EOD forces were requested by police to investigate suspicious metal objects found on the property of a local potato plant. EOD reported several ordnance related items including fuzes and No. 101 Mk II type British-made World War I artillery detonators.
The potatoes reportedly came from Normandy and authorities suspect that the ordnance components likely were mixed with the potatoes during large-scale, machine-harvesting of the potatoes where objects similar in size are screened from the ground.
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