A scuba diver has discovered a Second World War-era explosive device during a dive off the coast of Florida, prompting a temporary beach closure and a controlled detonation by authorities.
The device was found near Pepper Park in Fort Pierce, on Florida’s Treasure Coast. Diver Tom Gramlich said he noticed an unusual metal object on the seabed while returning from a dive.
‘As I was coming in, I looked down and I saw some kind of strange object,’ Gramlich told West Palm Beach’s WPBF 25 News. ‘I reached down, picked it up, had it in my hand, and I realised this looks like a World War II mortar.’
Gramlich reported the find to authorities, who secured the area and called in a bomb squad. The device was removed from the water and detonated on the beach in a controlled explosion.
‘They put their explosives around it, filled it back up with sand, and then a short time later, they detonated it,’ Gramlich said. ‘You saw a big explosion on the beach that sent sand and debris sky high.’
Discoveries of historic military ordnance are not uncommon along the Treasure Coast, which was used for amphibious warfare training during the Second World War, particularly prior to the invasion of Normandy.
Authorities urged members of the public to avoid touching suspected explosive devices and to immediately report any similar finds.
