German Torpedo Found in Orkney Islands

Orkney Islands, United Kingdom An unexploded German torpedo was found near the Scapa Flow, a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy.

According to reports, Kirkwall Airport, the main airport on the islands, was closed for three hours. The torpedo was discovered near the wreck of the HMS Royal Oak, which was sunk by a German U-boat in October 1939, soon after the start of the WWII. According to the Orkney Islands Council Harbour Authority, the Royal Navy bomb team was quoted as saying that they "will be engaged in the recovery, movement and detonation of a suspected live warhead." No further information has been given at this time.

Royal Navy EOD Disposes Of German Bomb

Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom Civilian divers working with Historic England discovered a bomb underwater near the site of a 350-year-old protected shipwreck close to Southend Pier. The divers reported the find to authorities who contacted the Royal Navy from Portsmouth to investigate. Portsmouth EOD divers reportedly identified the ordnance as a WWII era German "parachute ground mine containing a main charge of 697kg of Hexamite."

EOD planned the operation and which was complex and difficult due to weather conditions and low visibility in the area. The team conducted nearly 20 dives over a six day period to lift the mine from the wreck and slowly tow it for five miles to the disposal site at Shoeburyness where it was disposed of in a controlled underwater demo event.

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16,000 Evacuated For UXO Disposal Operation

Frankfurt, Germany Over 16,000 people were evacuated from the area around the European Central Bank headquarters as bomb disposal personnel disposed of a World War II era U.S. bomb. About 350 firefighters, police and Red Cross staff were involved in the operation to move residents.

The device was discovered earlier in the week in the Main River by city fire service personnel conducting a dive exercise in the river. Reportedly, the initial plan had been for a partial detonation to neutralize the bomb, but local experts were concerned that bomb could high order in the process. Therefore, divers moved the bomb, reported as a 250-kilogram (550-pound) US bomb from the position where it was found to a greater depth of 5.5 to 6 meters.

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WWII Era Bomb Found During Dredging Project

Okinawa, Japan A dredging company uncovered a bomb from the seabed Tuesday while dredging reclaimed soil at Naha Airport. According to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, EOD responded and relocated the U.S. WWII era bomb 3-miles from the military port. EOD weighed the bomb down with weights to prevent it from moving in the current before setting up an underwater demo charge to dispose of the item.

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UXO Find Causes Temporary Pier Closure

Essex, United Kingdom The Southend recreational pier, a popular tourist attraction, was temporarily closed for two days after the discovery of a UXO item approximately 30 meters from the pier. A Royal Navy EOD team responded to remove the WWII era munition shown below (specific type not reported). 04-08-2019-Southend.jpg

Fisherman Pulls Up WWII Era Depth Charge

Largs, United Kingdom A fisherman accidentally snagged a WWII era munition from the Firth of Clyde, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. At first the crew thought it was an old boiler but after pulling the item to the deck, they decided to notify the Coastguard of their unusual find.

The Coastguard responded and setup a 700 meter exclusion zone around the vessel as they contacted the Royal Navy for assistance. EOD was dispatched at met the vessel north of Great Cumbrae where they safely removed the munition from the fishing vessel.

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EOD Team Responds To Ordnance On The Beach

Selsey Beach, United Kingdom A local resident found munitions related items along the beach and notified authorities. The Coastguard and police responded and proceeded to cordon off the area while they sent images of the items to an EOD team.

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Trawler Nets Unexploded Bomb

Solent, United kingdom Royal Navy Bomb Disposal was called to Motherbank (a shallow sandbar off the northeast coast of the Isle of Wight) after a trawler reported a UXO find. The experienced captain quickly realized that he had something potentially dangerous in his nets when he noticed a bomb. He ordered the crew to carefully lower the bomb in the water and proceeded to report the find to the Coast Guard.

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Magnet Fishermen Haul in WWII Shell in Maidstone

Maidstone, United Kingdom Bomb disposal experts were called to Maidstone town centre after two novice magnet fishermen pulled in a large ordnance item from under a bridge. Realizing that it was potentially dangerous, they pulled the item against a wall and called police. Photos of the munition were sent to a Ministry EOD team who identified it as a WWII munition (specific type not reported). Police remained on the scene, awaiting the arrival of a disposal team.

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Trawler Hauls In 1-Ton German Bomb

Normandy, France Fishermen in France hauled in a potentially deadly catch when they netted a 1-ton German WWII bomb. A trawler found the bomb off the coast of Normandy, 2.5 miles from the port of Grandcamp-Maisy. After the crew was evacuated, explosive experts safely defused the bomb, according to a tweet from French authorities. The bomb was found near the site of the 1944 D-Day landing.

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