Low Water Level Reveal Massive WWII UXO in River

Komarno, Slovakia Low water levels in the Danube River revealed a large WWII era UXO item. The discovery was reported to police and led to a response from bomb disposal technicians from the Police Corps' Criminalistics and Forensic Institute in Bratislava.

Nitra region police along with the Fire and Rescue Corps, assisted in the operation to safety dispose of the anti-ship mine which was loaded by the bomb techs onto a specially modified fire brigade vehicle with a sand bed to ensure safe passage to the pit where it was disposed of by controlled detonation.

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Over 11 Tons of WWII Munitions Located in Lagoon

Tuvalu Explosives experts have successfully located more than 11 tons of WWII-era munitions in Tuvalu, a remote Polynesian island in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Australia. The massive cache of UXO was scattered across a 12-kilometer lagoon in Nanumea, a community of about 500 inhabitants that previously served as a U.S. airbase during the war. The newly discovered hazards appear to consist principally of US munitions associated with the historic military base.

Operating at the request of the Tuvalu government, an Australian Defence Force (ADF) clearance diving team partnered with EOD personnel from the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) to execute a technical reconnaissance mission. Working from the Royal Australian Navy minehunter HMAS Diamantina and the Pacific Support Vessel ADV Reliant, the dive teams covered more than 100 kilometers of seabed at depths reaching 25 meters.

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Submerged Munitions Recovered by Fishermen in Lake Victoria

MBITA, Kenya Communities situated along Lake Victoria experienced a scare over the weekend after local fishermen inadvertently discovered ordnance hidden underwater.

The initial encounter took place at Litare Beach, located near Mbita. A group of fishermen hauled in what they initially believed was a large fish. Their excitement quickly turned to fear upon realizing that their catch was actually a box containing live explosives and ammunition.

The fishermen brought the hazardous cargo ashore, and police were immediately alerted to take control of the items. Additional UXO were also recovered from Lake Victoria the following day.

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Fishing Trawler Nets Depth Charge

Eyjafjörður, Iceland The Icelandic Coast Guard's special operations unit was called out to the port area in Akureyri after a fishing trawler reported a suspicious find that was entangled in the fishing gear, a suspect depth charge.

Authorities responded and evacuated the pier and the nearby fish processing plant while the item was dislodged by the Icelandic Coast Guard's bomb disposal unit. The item was towed out to sea and destroyed through an off-shore controlled detonation event.

WWII Bomb Diffused on German Dredging Vessel

Cologne, Germany An unexploded WWII aerial bomb retrieved from the Rhine River forced the closure of shipping operations and the airspace above the river as experts safely defused the bomb.

The massive British-made munition was moved to a dredging vessel positioned far enough from residential areas to avoid the need for any evacuations during defusal operations, according to Cologne city officials.

Once diffused, it was transported ashore on a tractor and loaded onto an EOD vehicle. Discovery of UXO is common in Cologne, which was heavily bombed by Allied air forces during the war.

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WWII-era U.S. Mine Detonated in Kanmon Straits, Japan

Kita-Kyushu, Japan Japanese self-defense forces carried out a controlled detonation of a WWII U.S. mine found during windfarm construction in the Kanmon Straits. This marked the first explosive operation conducted in the area in nearly a decade.

In a two-step process, a Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) minesweeper successfully cleared the mine. "We managed to dispose of it without fail," said Lt. Cmdr. Akira Ito of the 43rd Mine Warfare Force.

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Canada Issues Warning after WWII UXO Found on US Navy Shipwreck

The Canadian government issued a warning after divers discovered more than a dozen unexploded bombs and artillery projectiles in a US Navy shipwreck. The Royal Canadian Navy reported the discovery of over twelve unexploded bombs and artillery projectiles in a WWII US Navy shipwreck situated off the coast of Newfoundland.

In a statement the Navy said, "Returning from their operational area, they've (divers) identified over a dozen 227kg bombs and numerous artillery projectiles. The relentless corrosion from decades of saltwater exposure has left these historical artifacts fragmented and weather-beaten."

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Fishing Trawler Snags Depth Charge

Block Island, Rhode Island A trawler fishing four miles off the coast line pulled in an explosive catch when their nets captured WWI era a depth charge. Upon discovery, the crew contacted the U.S. Coast Guard, who then requested assistance from the U.S. Navy.

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Snorkeling U.S. Airman Discovers WWII-era Grenade

Tokyo, Japan Residents of an Air Force base in northeastern Japan were asked to shelter in place after an airman reported finding what turned out to be a WWII Japanese grenade while snorkeling.

The base issued the following statement on its social media page, "Out of an abundance of caution the acting Misawa Air Base installation commander issued a shelter in place warning notification for north base housing after a community member discovered an unexploded ordnance 23 Sept."

The post also stated, "Misawa's Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel immediately responded to the scene and determined the object was not a threat."

Senior Airman Layne Ring found the suspect munition while he and his wife were snorkeling at Mutsu Bay, located 45 minutes north of the base. In a statement Ring said, "My wife and I love to look for sea glass, glass float, sea marbles. While we were there, I pulled out my snorkel gear and started snorkeling near the shore and found a ton of glass, and then I stumbled upon what I thought was a ceramic pot at first but to my knowledge assumed it was a ceramic fishing weight or something."

A few days later, while looking through the objects he collected, Ring noticed what appeared to be a fuse. "I realized I found a Japanese imperial navy Type 4 ceramic grenade ... created from 1944-1945 as a 'last ditch' effort to defend Japan's citizens from the Americans if they invaded," Ring said.

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US WWII Munitions Detonated Underwater Off Okinawa

Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force has begun operations to dispose of more than 600 UXO uncovered on Okinawa this year. Approximately 319 items were safely detonated a half-mile offshore from Naha Port's Shinko Wharf, according to a Naha city spokesperson.

The ordnance was uncovered during dredging operations off Naha Port between March and November. The UXO are believed to be American-made and were likely dropped during the pivotal Battle of Okinawa that lasted from April 1 to June 22, 1945. The city spokesman said, "The disposal was conducted as planned and without any trouble."

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