Record number of unexploded bombs found on Isle of Sheppey
THE Navy discovered 61 bombs, shells and bullets on the Sheppey foreshore during a productive two-day sweep of the coastline.
Last Wednesday and Thursday's (Oct 6) 500lb haul – thought to be the largest in the island's history – takes the total number of munitions found to 87 pieces in 11 days.
The Royal Navy's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team found mortars, bullets and other projectiles dating as far back as the 1800s during two days of searching Leysdown beach last week.
North Kent coastguard manager Colin Ingram, who oversaw the Navy carrying out the controlled explosions last Wednesday, said: "It is quite a find.
"To put it in perspective, during my six years here in north Kent the highest number of munitions found in one year was 22, and that's across a significantly larger area.
But because of the high pressure in the weather, we've had exceptionally low tides over the last couple of weeks, meaning you can walk further out on the shore. It may be a lot of the ordnance is not explosive but you can't be too careful."
Among the finds were high-explosive mortar shells, 6in projectiles and bullets, dating from the late 1800s up to 1945.
Mr Ingram said a significant number of were pre-1945.
The island has a long military history being home to the first Royal Air Naval station in the UK at Eastchurch which opened in 1910.
Barton's Point, which stretched from Sheerness all the way around to Shellness, was a bombing range until 1937 before becoming an aircraft gunnery range during the Second World War.
He said: "A lot of shooting and plane exercises happened around Leysdown.
"Sometimes the shells wouldn't go off when dropped from a plane, or shot from a rifle, but be cushioned by the mud and not explode."
The first piece of ordnance, a bomb, was reported by a member of the public on Saturday, September 24. The man took a photo of the object at low tide and passed on the details to coastguards.
Over the next week, 26 munitions – totalling 200lbs - were discovered by coastguards James Crane, Henry Ranger and Kirsty Redman.
The munitions included shells, anti-submarine depth charges and high-explosive mortar shells which were all detonated by the Portsmouth-based EOD team at the end of last month. But Mr Ingram, who oversees Strood, Sheppey and Herne Bay coastlines, stressed none of the findings were from the sunken 1945 munitions ship Richard Montgomery, and the wreck remains safe.
He added: "But if anyone notices anything suspicious around the Sheppey coast, call 999 immediately and notify the coastguard."
3 Comments
by ronangel
Friday, October 14 2011, 2:17PM
“This seems to be even more important in the light of current circumstances.
please have a look at & sign my petition
Only the government can see details of signers.
Render safe, or remove wreck of liberty ship SS Richard Montgomery of the coast sheerness Kent England. The ship sunk 67 years ago 20 august 1944 containing 1400 tons of high explosive some still in primed condition and libel to explode without warning. The wreck also may contain mustard gas or other chemical agents the existence of which cannot be confirmed or denied under a freedom of information enquiry.
http://tinyurl.com/6293qzn”
by scorpion1035
Friday, October 14 2011, 11:46AM
“There was a huge explosion and water spout, out in the estuary just before lunchtime, towards Leigh on sea, on Thursday as viewed by the sailing club, James Bell from the IOSSC actual caught the water spout on camera and put the photo on the members web page/forum! it looked like a trawler had pick up some form of ordinance and the bomb disposal had detonated it.
there seems to be a lot of activity as Thursday night from Minster shingle beach, it looked like there were a team of people exploring the beach area, and putting up a parachute flare to light the area!”
by ronangel
Friday, October 14 2011, 6:45AM
“Although none of the munitions have come from the wreck SS Richard Montgomery, were tidal conditions to cause any of these unexploded armaments to go in the direction of the wreck it is conceivable that as the quantity found appears to be only the tip of the iceberg, plus the fact that local fishermen have been dumping stuff caught up in nets for years near the wreck rather than lose days fishing while waiting for bomb disposal to collect the munitions. This situation is a disaster waiting to happen as it only takes one unstable item to knock against the already rotting hull of the wreck in stormy weather to cause either a large localized explosion throwing tons of unexploded munitions in an even more unstable condition on to the seabed and distributed by the tide or chain reaction of the whole lot going up! see http://tinyurl.com/6b7b2vj for more information about the dangers of the wreck.”