Welcome to UXOInfo.com's free monthly E-Newsletter on Unexploded Ordnance (UXO). UXOInfo.com is the largest site on the Internet for UXO related news and information. If you have not checked out the UXOInfo.com website, we encourage you to do so at www.uxoinfo.com. In addition to bringing you the latest UXO news and information, the UXOInfo.com website also provides the following:

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The UXO E-Newsletter is issued monthly to provide the industry with important news and information related to UXO. For information on how to advertise in future UXO E-Newsletters please email the UXOInfo.com Marketing Coordinator, Ms. Jenna Coven at jenna@uxoinfo.com.

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Welcome Summer

When it comes to UXO in the hands of un-trained civilians, often times doing something that seems "helpful" to them can actually put themselves and others in great danger. For example, this month we have an article about a Massachusetts man trying to "do the right thing," when he drove an ordnance item that he found in his basement to the police station to turn it in. The incident set off a chain of events which interrupted preparations on Nantucket for the visit of Vice President Mike Pence and Governor Charlie Baker.

We also have two separte stories of people be hepful by "donating" items to charity organizations, but when the donated items are hand grenades, the act of donating turns dangerous. In this month's "What Not To Do With UXO" article, we report on a story out of North Carolina where a boater transported a live munition to a marina that he pulled from restricted waters.

In legislative news, an audit on MEC processes on Guam was released this month highlighting the inadequacies in planning for and budgeting for MEC removal during DoD construction on the island. See the article below for insight into suggestions made by auditors to improve the processes in the future.

I hope you enjoy this month's UXO E-Newsletter and stay safe and healthy. We would love to hear from you, so please be in touch.

UXOInfo.com is brought to you by Ordnance Holdings, Inc. (OHI), a Hub Zone certified small business - please keep us in mind to support your next UXO project from consulting and UXO construction support to full-service UXO remediation and removals. For more information on OHI's capabilities and services, please visit our website at www.ordnanceholdings.com. Finally, when it comes to UXO, please remember the 3R's of Recognize, Retreat, Report.

Audit on MEC Processes on Guam Reveals Inadequacies

Washington, DC The Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defense released Report Number DODIG-2020-093, "Audit of the Department of Defense's Processes to Identify and Clear MEC During Construction o in Guam." The audit sought to "determine whether DoD personnel implemented safety standards and quality assurance controls for addressing MEC during military construction projects on Guam, and whether DoD personnel properly managed safety concerns and readiness related to MEC on Guam in accordance with military standards and risk-management instructions."

A summary of the findings of the audit in the report states that, "DoD personnel did not properly plan and manage the MEC program at the JRM." It goes on the state that, "DoD personnel did not consistently implement safety standards and quality assurance (QA) controls during MILCON projects." Auditors also concluded, "DoD personnel did not establish adequate plans and processes for managing MEC clearance requirements and safety concerns for MILCON projects on Guam."

These issues contributed to financial losses as well, because the failure to adequately plan for MEC clearance led to a "difficulty completing projects within the planned costs and schedules." Such delays in schedules affected the DoD's ability to carry out joint exercises in the area which then led to a decrease in readiness.

The audit does make several recommendations for addressing the issue related to planning for MEC during MILCON projects. The report states, "Among other recommendations, we recommend that the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment issue guidance for estimating and presenting MEC clearance costs in DD Form 1391 that will enable personnel to assess the accuracy of the MEC budget and enable DoD leaders to refine future MILCON projects. We also recommend that the Chief of Naval Operations conduct analysis to determine if a more efficient process exists to approve deviation requests from installation commanders in a timely manner to reduce further schedule delays and associated cost increases for MILCON projects."

Download Report Number: DODIG-2020-093 in its entirety from UXOInfo.com

Homeowner Finds Buried Artillery Shell

Chicago, IL a homeowner doing lawn work uncovered an artillery round in his lawn. The man reported the find to police who responded with the local bomb squad.

According to the Chicago Police Department social media site: "a WWII artillery shell was located by a resident on the 3000 block of W. 38th Pl. District personnel responded, and summoned the bomb squad. They removed it to an alternate location after x-raying it and determining it was likely live."

After the x-ray investigation, the bomb squad safely disposed of the 75mm round at an off-site location.

Artillery Shell Exposed By Heavy Rains In Park

Washington, D.C. A National Park Service crew working on a trail in a section of the Fort Totten Park in Northeast D.C. discovered a 75 mm World War II-era shell (specific type not reported) that was revealed by recent heavy rains.

The section of the park, east of the Fort Totten DC Metro station and west of South Dakota Avenue was closed as police and EOD responded. Army EOD reportedly transported the item to Marine Corps Base Quantico where it was safety disposed of.

The park was originally part of D.C.'s defenses during the Civil War. However, that does not necessarily explain how the 75-mm shell ended up in the park.

New Museum Curator Makes Explosive Discovery

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 (a Civil War cannonball) marked with a sticky-note stating, "Danger, it may be active." He immediately notified the museum director, who stated "This is not good." The museum notified the police who responded and contacted the Air Force for technical support.

A five-member team from 434th Civil Engineer Squadron EOD based out of Grissom Air Reserve Base responded. A search of the musuem artifacts yielded two other cannonballs. EOD could not confirm that the ordnance items were inert, so a decision was made to treat them as live and as such, the items were safely re-located off-site for proper dispoal.

Beachcomber Detects WWII Shrapnel Bomb

Brean Beach, United Kingdom Portions of Brean Beach were closed when a local metal detector enthusiast uncovered a WWII era shrapnel bomb. Police and Coast Guard officers responded to inspect the find but were forced to wait until the next day to remove the item due to high tides.

During an interview after the find, the metal detector enthusiast stated to a reporter, "I was metal detecting in the area and heard a faint, scratchy signal on my metal detector, so I dug down into the sand and found a rusty metal item. I banged it several times with my shovel to get the mud and sand off before realizing what it was. It's cracked and has a brass plate but is recognizable." He went on to say that the item was the "the size of a rugby ball and the fuse appeared to be in place."

A Coastguard spokesman added, "It looks very much like a small shrapnel bomb that we were tasked to last year." The unidentified WWII-era munition was safely removed by authorities and the beach reopened.

UXO-Related History Remembered

15-Inch Rodman Gun - Coastal Artillery

This month we feature the 15-inch Roadman Gun, a coastal artillery weapon that was used during and after the Civil War. Rodman guns of this and other sizes were produced using innovative manufacturing methods developed by Army officer Thomas J. Rodman.

These heavy guns were intended to be mounted in seacoast fortifications. They were built in 8-inch, 10-inch, 13-inch, 15-inch, and 20-inch bore. Other than size, the guns were all nearly identical in design, with a curving bottle shape, large flat cascabels with ratchets or sockets for the elevating mechanism. Rodman guns differed from all previous artillery at the time because they were hollow cast, a technology that Thomas Rodman developed that resulted in cast-iron guns that were much stronger than their predecessors.

If you have any UXO history you would like to share including documents, images, and/or articles for posting, please send them to Rhonda at rhonda@uxoinfo.com.

UXO Support Services by Ordnance Holdings, Inc.(OHI)

Ordnance Holdings, Inc. (OHI) - developer and operator of UXOInfo.com, is a small certified HUB Zone business, specializing in providing UXO, MMRP, and explosives safety related services.

Services provided by OHI include:

• UXO Construction Support / Anomaly Avoidance
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For more information on OHI, please visit our recently updated - website or contact OHI's Client Relations Manager, Jenna Perman: (O) 443.522.2933 x 1000 (C) 443.857.7474 (E) jenna@ordnanceholdings.com.

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For information on Corporate Sponsorships, please contact UXOInfo.com's Marketing Coordinator, Jenna Perman at jenna@uxoinfo.com or (443)857-7474.

Hand Grenade Found at Red Cross Thrift Shop

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.

Teenage Boy Pulls Grenade From River

Cambridge, United Kingdom A 13-year-old teenage boy pulled an unexploded grenade from the River Cam during a magnet fishing trip with his mother. The mother notified the police who responded and cleared the area before calling EOD.

The 37-year-old mother described the find to reporters following the incident: "He pulled it off the magnet and he turned it around. Because it was all corroded on one side you couldn't see what it was at first, but the other side luckily had the square patterns on it."

She further elaborated that her son called his father who is former military and asked him what he thought it was. As she explained it to reporters, "We got him on Facetime and he said yes, it is a grenade. Put it down on the floor and run."

Live Hand Grenade in Goodwill Bin

West Bend, Wisconsin According to police reports, an employee at a West Bend Goodwill found a hand grenade in the donation bin. Officers safely evacuated the store and secured the surrounding area before requesting assistance from the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office bomb disposal unit. A subsequent press release from officials confirmed that the hand grenade was live (specific type not reported) and that it was safely transported for disposal.

Boater Brings Live Ordnance to Marina

Carteret County, North Carolina Military ordnance was cause for concern at a Carteret County marina after a boater found the UXO in nearby waters. The ordnance was brought to Dudley's Marina by the boater, who transported the device from Browns Inlet to Dudley's Marina in Cedar Point. Upon arrival, employees of the marina notified law enforcement along with the NC Marine Patrol, who in turn notified the New River Air Station.

A Marine EOD unit from Camp Lejeune responded to secure the area. Several local agencies were involved in the response including Marine Patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard, Swansboro Fire and Police Departments, and West Carteret Fire Department.

Reportedly, the boater found the UXO near Browns Island which is a restricted area due to frequent live-fire training exercises conducted in the area. Civilians are not authorized to be on Browns Island without prior approval.

EOD safely transported the item for proper off-site disposal.

Preparations for VP Visit Interrupted by Ordnance Find

Harwich, Massachusetts In an ill-advised move, a resident drove an ordnance item he found in his basement to the Harwich Police Station. Police sent out an urgent notice perspective visitors that, "The parking area and lobby of the Public Safety Facility is CLOSED due to an unexploded military shell that was brought to the station. If you need to come to the station you must pull to the far right side of the fire station and call 430-7541. A dispatcher will speak with you and an officer will come to you. Please do not get out of your vehicle."

Officers placed the item in a cordoned off area of the parking lot. They notified the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad. The units were on Nantucket preparing for the visit of VP Mike Pence and Gov. Charlie Baker, so a state police helicopter was able to fly the members of the bomb squad back to the mainland. Barnstable Police then brought them to their vehicles, and they rushed to move the ordnance to a secure location. The troopers believed it was an inert training aid used back in WWII. However, they did not want to take any chances and they decided to safely counter-charge the item to dispose of it.

WWII Era Bomb Defused At Construction Site

Kai Tak, China Hong Kong police responded to a UXO find at a construction site at the Kai MTR train station. Approximately 2,300 people were evacuated from nearby residences and businesses as bomb disposal personnel conducted a render safe procedure on the item.

The render safe operation resulted in a low order detonation allowing the technicians to remove the remaining explosives for off-site disposal. Technicians identified the bomb as a U.S. WWII era (specific type not reported). The bomb was first identified by workers at a construction site who notified the police.

These depth bombs are made with round noses welded to a cylindrical steel tube. There is a strengthening disc around the nose and a steel strip along the suspension lugs to reinforce the body.

The 325 pound Depth Bomb Mk 17 is TNT loaded but has a light tail assembly; the Mk 17 Mod 1 is the same, except that a sturdier tail assembly is used. The AN-Mk 17 Mod 2 is similar to the Mod 1 but has a larger filling hole.

The illuminant assembly consists of a first-tire charge and an illurninant charge, contained in a canister fitted with anti-rotational brakes to reduce canister spin at the time of ejection and prevent twisting of the parachute suspension lines. The tail assembly includes a pressure plate and rotating disc, a propelling charge, a cartridge container and ignition cartridge, and a striker nut assembly.

Suspension of these bombs is by the usual dual or single lugs, the lugs being welded to the bomb. The single lug is actually somewhat different than is usually found, being in the form of a bracket rather than a lug. Trunnions on a band are for displacement gear in dive bombing.

To prevent ricochet and improve underwater trajectory, a flat-nose attachment in the shape of a bucket fits down over the nose and is filled with plaster of paris, increasing the weight of the bomb by 44 pounds. The bomb case is extremely thin.