Anchors 'Away' After Dutch Couple Hooks UXO

Pula, Croatia A Dutch couple was forced to abandon their new anchor and chain off the port of Pula after they discovered it had become tangled up with an unexploded bomb.

Daniel Steenstra and his wife were forced to hire a diver once they found they could not lift anchor while preparing to leave the harbor. The diver reportedly saw a large cylindrical object rising from the seabed, approximately 2 meters in diameter, which authorities later confirmed to be an unexploded WWII Allied bomb.

Steenstra was seemingly concerned there was little action by the authorities following the reported discovery. "We feel very lucky," he said. "We lost a brand new anchor, but if that bomb had gone off, we might not be around to tell the tale. The gravity of the situation extended beyond personal loss, as the presence of the bomb endangered other sailors in the area. Despite reporting the hazardous discovery to local police and military forces, no action was taken. Disturbingly, local authorities failed to issue any warnings through channels such as VHF Radio Rijeka."

Pula Harbour was a German submarine base during the war and was attacked heavily as a result, but it is now a busy sailing hub with hundreds of charter yachts based at multiple marinas in the area.