Munitions in the news

WWII mine destroyed by U.S. Navy


Associated Press - March 4, 2008 9:44 PM ET
KOLONIA, Federated States of Micronesia (AP) - U.S. Navy explosives experts have blown up a World War II-era mine found in the Federated States of Micronesia.
A Navy spokesman says the Japanese mine had become unmoored and was resting in 110 feet of water on the floor of the main harbor channel of the island of Yap.
Lt. Donnell Evans says an explosive ordinance disposal team from Guam blew up the mine Tuesday and returned Wednesday to conduct a site assessment.
He says team members were also assisting local police in identifying and destroying other World War II-era ordnance.
The U.S. Embassy in Kolonia warned American citizens Monday to exercise caution when traveling or diving in the region.

WWII mine destroyed by U.S. Navy

 

Landowner OKs search for munitions

By ANTHONY A. MESTAS
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

LA JUNTA - One area landowner has given the Army Corps of Engineers permission to check his property for old munitions sites on a World War II bombing range, Corps officials said Friday.
The Corps has asked landowners south of La Junta for permission to search for unexploded ordnance from the WWII era that still may be on their land.
In 1943, B-24s from Pueblo Army Air Base flew over ranchlands, blowing craters on the prairie as crews practiced for bombing missions over Europe and the Pacific. The ranges were known as the Pueblo Air to Ground Gunnery Site and Precision Bombing Areas No. 1 and No. 2.
The Corps' project is part of a Defense Department program to examine and, if necessary, clean up approximately 1,000 ordnance ranges across the country.
Last month, several landowners who attended a public meeting vehemently denied the Corps access to their property.
The landowners question the timing of the inspections, saying it is suspect that the Corps would want to look into spent artillery 60 years after the war and in the midst of the controversy over the proposed expansion of the Army’s Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site. The Army has proposed expanding the 238,000-acre training site by an additional 414,000 acres.
John Miller, Corps project manager, said Friday that the Corps received a letter this week from a landowner granting access to his land. Miller said he could not disclose which landowner gave the Corps permission nor which range the land is on.
"I want to respect their privacy. I don't want to name who has allowed that, but there is only one right now," he said.
Through the nationwide program, the Corps is working with 972 sites across the country to check for munitions.
Miller said it is possible unexploded bombs are buried beneath the prairie dirt. If so, the project staff would locate and destroy them in place.
Miller said the inspection wouldn't cover every inch of land, only the most likely spots where there might be munitions. He said the Corps would enter the land on foot and not use any vehicles to perform the inspections.
"Once we have determined that we have gotten all the access we are going to get, we will plan the field work, which will be taking samples during the reconnaissance only on the areas we have access to," Miller said
After taking samples, Miller said, the Corps will write a report and determine whether there needs to be further study and if there should be any cleanup effort.
"We will check to see if there is a high enough risk from either chemicals or explosives that we should investigate further. That determines how the cleanup would be done. That's the final phase," Miller said.
Miller said that if landowners don't give permission for access to their land, the Corps can't condemn the land or petition the federal courts for right of entry.
"We will inform state regulators, who are making sure we are following state laws, that we are unable to get access to adequately investigate the sites. We will ask them for assistance, although they have no legal authority to force people to allow us on their land.
"They may help us by making calls to landowners telling them how important this project is," Miller said.
Miller said landowners in the area will be sent formal letters stating that they are refusing to allow the Corps on their land.
"We need to have a formal record of refusal. We send registered letters saying that there may be consequences by not allowing us on their land, because they may be responsible for personal injury or future cleanup," Miller said.
The Department of Defense is liable for any hazardous substances or hazards on public or private land.
"Until they allow us on the land, they are also not eligible for funding under the Formerly Used Defense Sites Program," Miller said.
In the meantime, Miller urges landowners not to pick up or move any munitions found on their land.
"It's just not safe. Most of the time that stuff doesn't go off, but it's not worth the chance. Particularly, since we are probably not going to get very much access to many of these sites, it's very important that the landowners understand that they shouldn't pick stuff up," Miller said.

The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Landowner OKs search for munitions

 

WWII-Era Grenade Detonated Outside Germantown Waste Plant


POSTED: 5:16 pm CDT March 10, 2008



GERMANTOWN, Wis. -- The Milwaukee Bomb Squad on Monday evening detonated a World War II-era hand grenade outside the Waste Management Plant near U.S. Highway 45 and Grant Drive in Germantown, police said in a statement.
Capt. Mike Snow with the Germantown Police Department said the plant, at W32 N10487 Grant Dr., was evacuated after an employee located the device on a conveyor belt where employees sort recyclables.

No injuries were reported and Waste Management employees were allowed to return to the building.
WWII-Era Grenade Detonated Outside Germantown Waste Plant - Milwaukee News Story - WISN Milwaukee

 

'World War II bomb' found in city

The city was expected to be sealed off throughout the night

Parts of Coventry city centre have been closed off after what is believed to be an unexploded World War II bomb was unearthed on a building site.
It was found at the Belgrade Plaza development in Upper Well Street. Police said the device seemed genuine but it was not clear if it was live.
Eight junctions of the ring road were shut and offices evacuated.
The city will remain closed through the night as explosives teams attempt to defuse it.
Exits remain open
The Coventry Evening Telegraph offices and Belgrade Theatre were also evacuated.
A matinee performance of In The Club was cancelled and police have maintained a 500m cordon from the building site.
The ring road is closed to traffic anti-clockwise between junctions one and eight, which take traffic into the city centre.
Exits out of the city centre from the ring road remain open. Explosives experts were called to the scene to examine the bomb and decide on how best to deal with it, a police spokesman added.



BBC NEWS | UK | England | Coventry/Warwickshire | 'World War II bomb' found in city

 

Artillery shell found at Albany

Article from: AAP
March 13, 2008 01:37pm

DIVERS have found a World War II artillery shell at the bottom of Albany harbour.
The defence force dumped a variety of ordnance into the harbour between October 1947 and March 1948.
The Albany Port Authority (APA) has in the past found a 250 pound aerial bomb, 18 pound artillery shells and rifle ammunition.
Last June, the commonwealth agreed to pay the port $5.25 million for past and future dredging and clean-up costs.
Late yesterday, divers involved in the bomb removal project were removing debris when they came across what looked like an artillery shell.
APA chief executive Brad Williamson said they had not expected to find bombs so early in the project.
He and the divers dived down to the site again today.
``It was very heavy and it appeared to have a brass firing ring, which is a distinctive sign of a firing shell,'' Mr Williamson said.
``We took photographs of it and contacted the army who say it's very likely to be an artillery shell of some sort.''
Mr Williamson says he believes it could be a four-and-a-half inch (11.4cm) naval shell.
Army divers will remove the shell.

Artillery shell found at Albany | PerthNow

 

World War II-era shells found in Palmyra


Burlington County Times

PALMYRA — Munitions experts have uncovered several World War II-era shells on the grounds of the Tacony-Palmyra Flea Market off Route 73.
Workers with Munitions Management Group of Knoxville, Tenn., made the discovery during a sweep of the area, which was the site of a firing range for a top-secret U.S. Army testing program of recoilless rifles in the 1940s.
The site eventually became the home of a drive-in movie theater and, later, the Tacony-Palmyra Flea Market. It is now part of a borough redevelopment area,
Mayor John Gural said the munitions team detonated some of the shells earlier in the week and expects to detonate the rest tomorrow.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/112-03132008-1503021.html

 

'Unexploded WWII bomb' discovered

An Army bomb disposal team was called to the scene

Police have cordoned off part of Stoke-on-Trent after what is believed to be an unexploded World War Two bomb was discovered.
An Army bomb disposal team has been sent to Chatterley Road, Tunstall, to investigate.
Staffordshire Police were alerted just after 1300 GMT by a member of the public who said they had spotted a device.
A spokesman said it was not in an "immediately residential area". Ch Insp Dave Mellor, of Staffordshire Police, said: "We have cordoned off the area and are taking the necessary steps to ensure as a top priority the safety of the local community, and hope to resolve the situation as soon as is possible. "Officers are on site providing information and reassurance to the local community."


BBC NEWS | England | Staffordshire | 'Unexploded WWII bomb' discovered

 

World War II munitions found in Hungary


Published: March 21, 2008 at 12:34 PM


BUDAPEST, Hungary, March 21 (UPI) -- Police in northern Hungary seized more than half a ton of World War II artillery shells apparently rejected by a scrap dealer, national media said.

Police in the city of Vecs were called Thursday to a home where a large pile of artillery shells and more than 1,000 live bullet cartridges had been dumped in the front yard, the MTI news agency reported.

After questioning the residents, police determined the 1940s-era munitions had been dug up in a nearby forest and sold to a scrap dealer. The dealer carted the material away but apparently realized the hazard and returned and dumped it, the report said.

Police said they turned the haul over to the military for defusing and destruction.

World War II munitions found in Hungary - UPI.com

 

Inert WWII grenade found on car

Saturday, March 22, 2008
Grenage prompted an evacuation of business


SANTA FE SPRINGS -- Authorities say someone left an inert World War II-era grenade on a car parked in front of a bar in Santa Fe Springs, prompting them to evacuate the place.
Deputies found the grenade after receiving a call about a fight at the Bikini Hut bar early Saturday morning. Bomb squad officials determined the grenade was just a shell.
<p. Authorities say the grenade did not belong to the owner of the car it was placed on. Police say they detained a man for questioning.

abc7.com: Inert World War II-era grenade found on SoCal car 3/22/08

 

Dud U.S. bomb from World War II removed in Nagoya


Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 13:45 EST NAGOYA — A bomb-disposal unit of the Ground Self-Defense Force on Saturday removed a dud U.S. bomb of World War II vintage from a housing construction site in Nagoya's Higashi Ward. Some 3,000 nearby residents were evacuated.
The 1.2-meter, 250-kilogram bomb is believed to have been dropped by the U.S. military during World War II. It was found March 10.

Japan Today - News - Dud U.S. bomb from World War II removed in Nagoya

 

Unexploded WWII bomb discovered

Kent Police say the bomb does not pose any threat

A suspected unexploded World War II bomb has been discovered on a beach in Kent, police have said.
The bomb, said to be 8in (20.3cm) in diameter, was found on Broadstairs beach, near the town's pier. Police have cordoned off the area while bomb disposal experts from the Royal Marines investigate. It is not yet known if they will carry out a controlled explosion or try to defuse it. The officer in charge said no one was in any danger.

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Kent | Unexploded WWII bomb discovered

 

<B>2 WW II grenades found in South Side lot




April 3, 2008
STNG News Service

 

2 WW II grenades found in South Side lot



2 WW II grenades found in South Side lot :: The SouthtownStar :: News

 

WWII mortar found in old stables



A bomb disposal team has safely removed what is thought to be a World War II mortar from old stables under renovation in Powys.
Dyfed-Powys Police said the suspicious object was found opposite the Royal Oak pub in East Street, Rhayader, on Tuesday at about 1800 BST.
An area in East Street was sealed off while a disposal team removed the "inert mortar," said police.
It is not clear how the device came to be in the stables.
A police spokeswoman said: "Renovation work was being carried out at the site, and what was believed to be an old explosive device was found.
"The explosive ordnance disposal team was contacted, and they subsequently removed an inert mortar. "No evacuation or road closures were necessary." No homes were evacuated or roads closed.

BBC NEWS | Wales | Mid Wales | WWII mortar found in old stables

 

Island sealed off after bomb find


The mine will be detonated on Friday


A mile-wide exclusion zone has been set up round a WWII German mine that has washed up on a Somerset beach.
A Royal Navy bomb disposal team was called to Stert Island in Bridgwater Bay after a fisherman spotted the device on Thursday.
The 10ft (3m) long mine, which would have been dropped by a plane to disrupt shipping lanes, contains 700kg of explosives.
The bomb disposal team said it would be detonated later on Friday.
'Catastrophic'
Police have reassured residents there is no threat to them or Hinkley Point power station, some seven miles away.
Most of the mine is buried under sand.
Royal Navy clearance diver, Petty Officer Keith Satchwell, said: "I'd say two thirds of it are high explosives, so catastrophic, the damage it could cause if it went off."
Burnham-on-Sea Coastguards called out two rescue hovercraft, The Spirit Of Lelaina and Light Of Elizabeth, which took members of the Navy Explosives team out to the scene.
Station officer Steve Bird added: "The bomb is partially covered in mud and can only be accessed at low tide so using the hovercrafts is essential."
The mine is in the Bridgwater Bay Nature Reserve, and has only recently become visible with shifting sands and mud.
'Incredibly lucky'
Bridgwater Bay is home to around 190 species of birds and several sites of historical interest, including 12th Century fish weirs.
Dr Helen Phillips, chief executive of Natural England, said: "The mudflats, sandbanks and salt marshes are nationally and internationally important feeding grounds and roosting sites for wintering waterfowl and waders- including shelduck, curlew, oystercatcher and redshank. "We feel incredibly lucky the situation did not occur any earlier in the year as these species have only just left for their summer breeding ground - the circumstances could have been far more serious. "The fossil beds and the submerged forest, which are protected within the National Nature Reserve are fortunately all out of range."


BBC NEWS | England | Somerset | Island sealed off after bomb find

 

Student brings WWII grenade to school


Published: April 10, 2008 at 4:25 PM



DENNIS, Mass., April 10 (UPI) -- Students were evacuated from a Massachusetts school after an 8-year-old boy carried a hand grenade into his class for show-and-tell, officials said.

The Ezra Baker School student openly admitted to his teacher he brought the grenade into class in his backpack Wednesday, WCVB-TV, Boston, reported. The teacher reportedly told the school principal, who then notified authorities.

Some 400 children were removed from the school after the grenade was located. Authorities said the 8-year-old was carrying an inert device from World War II.

Dennis police took possession of the grenade and gave it to state officials for disposal, WCVB reported.

Letters were sent home to parents, advising them to look into their children's backpacks in the morning.

Student brings WWII grenade to school - UPI.com

 

WWII-era chemical weapons found on island of Oahu
Associated Press
Last update: April 15, 2008 - 3:22 PM



SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii - The Army says it is ready to begin destroying a stockpile of old chemical weapons found during cleanup of a training range on the island of Oahu.
The Army calls it the largest concentration of unexploded chemical weapons ever found in the U.S.
Most of the artillery shells and other weapons contain the choking agent phosgene and one holds an agent that causes a reaction like tear gas.
The Army says the weapons were produced beginning in World War I and were stockpiled at the Schofield Barracks military base through World War II.
Army officials say a system called a Transportable Detonation Chamber will contain the weapons while they are destroyed one at a time with explosives. Heat and a series of filters will neutralize their poisonous contents.

Army prepared to destroy WWI- and WWII-era chemical weapons found on island of Oahu

 

WWII shell found at waste centre



Two World War II weapons have been found in Staffordshire within 24 hours.
Police were called to Bemmersley Household Waste Recycling Centre, near Biddulph, on Sunday, after a shell from a Spitfire was found.
The area was cordoned off as Army bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion in a nearby field, a police spokesman said.
On Monday, bomb disposal experts were called to Stoke-on-Trent after a grenade was found in a garden shed.
Staffordshire Police said the occupants of the house in Gordon Crescent went to a friend's home while the disposal team worked at the site.
Police warning
The grenade was dismantled and was found to have already been decommissioned.
The shell found at the waste site was among four items left in one of the scrap units.
Police warned people not to take anything of this nature to waste sites. A spokesman said: "A number of these items may have been retained by members of the public over a period of years. "If in doubt about the disposal of such items, in the interests of safety leave them in position and contact police."


BBC NEWS | England | Staffordshire | WWII shell found at waste centre

 

WWII shell causes scare in Pelham

By Robert Mills, rmills@lowellsun.com
Article Last Updated: 04/24/2008 11:37:05 AM EDT

PELHAM -- The wooden sign in front of the Pelham Fire Station warned of a high fire risk yesterday afternoon, and the 22-inch artillery shell brought to the front door did little to ease that danger.
The fire station was evacuated, a block of Route 111A in the town center was closed, and the New Hampshire State Police bomb squad was called in after an apparently well-intentioned man brought the artillery round to the station about 4:45 p.m.
The 39-year-old Pelham man drove to the station in a white utility van topped with ladders on a rack, the artillery round in the passenger seat, and spoke to firefighters about properly disposing of it, Police Chief Joseph Roark said.
"The lieutenant took a look at it and said, 'Oh, my goodness,'" Fire Chief Michael Walker said.
The man was not sure of the shell's origin or if it was safe, police said.
Walker and Pelham police were called in, a perimeter was set up, fire engines were evacuated from their bays, which were well within the potential "blast zone," as the wait for the bomb squad began.
Though the World War II-era Navy round turned out to be unarmed, Roark said no one was about to take any chances with an explosive shell that measured 22 inches long and 4 inches thick.
"If that was a live round, it would be very serious," he said.
Two troopers with the bomb squad took possession of the shell after donning metal helmets and flak jackets to get close enough to examine it. There
were about a half-dozen firefighters in the station at the time, both on duty and off, but Walker said they stayed on hand in case they were needed at the scene. Mutual-aid companies were contacted in case there were other calls, but none came in during the two hours it took to make sure the shell was safe, Walker said.
Roark said the man told police he had the shell, a family heirloom the origins of which he did not know, in his garage for years.
"He had no ill will toward anyone," Roark said. "He seemed like a nice guy."
Roark declined to identify the man, who will not face any charges.
Anyone else with such an item in their family should call the Fire Department if they want to dispose of it.
"If anyone has these items, they should certainly not transport them," Roark said. Firefighters or police will come to the item's location to check it out.

WWII shell causes scare in Pelham - Lowell Sun Online

 

Army to detonate WWII munitions found on former bomb range in Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- The Army Corps of Engineers will detonate more World War II-era munitions found at a former Orlando bombing range this week.
The corps has been investigating munitions found on the former Army bombing range. Roughly 42 more live bombs and projectiles -- including one 100-pound "burster bomb" -- have been discovered there.
Since July, more than 220 other bombs and rockets have been discovered.

WSVN-TV - Local News - Army to detonate WWII munitions found on former bomb range in Orlando