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"found in a yard sale"
During the war lots of torpedoes were found washed up on beaches. When I was in the Navy, our EOD guys would respond to unexploded ordinance found in the water or on beaches. Somehow our jurisdiction was not just the sea but the waters edge as well. The Army guys would be responsible for anything inland. After we dearmed the devise, by taking the detonater and fuses, which were usually made from bronze, because its non ferous and will not compromise the magnetic detinator. You see, those types of detonators could be switched from impact to magnetic before the launch. The EOD squad would sometimes just toss the units after taking the burmite fuse, then the recovery guys could safely remove the weapon. Floating mines were the same way, they had impact type and magnetic types but they were not switchable. You may have noticed the mines are not always the round type with the impact detonators sticking out all over, attached to an anchor chain. There are various shapes and sizes and relitively smooth. these are magnetic and can be detonated by a passing ship. Mines and torpedoes from WWII are still washing up on shore here. The last time I talked to the local EOD, they had stll not accounted for over 400 mines of the thousands the Navy set in 1942 and 43 in the Dry Tortugas west of Key West. Shrimp boats still drag them up in the nets. These ae large round steel balls that have long rusted thru and sunk. The explosive has washed away. Eod is still responsible for accountibility but there no longer a threat now. I saw a documentry of a WWII Brit eod squad de mil a G 7 after gingerly taking the "stinger" off with their bronze spanner, as not to disturb the magnetic field, they walked off down the beach casually tossing the unit back in the sea.
During the war lots of torpedoes were found washed up on beaches. When I was in the Navy, our EOD guys would respond to unexploded ordinance found in the water or on beaches. Somehow our jurisdiction was not just the sea but the waters edge as well. The Army guys would be responsible for anything inland. After we dearmed the devise, by taking the detonater and fuses, which were usually made from bronze, because its non ferous and will not compromise the magnetic detinator. You see, those types of detonators could be switched from impact to magnetic before the launch. The EOD squad would sometimes just toss the units after taking the burmite fuse, then the recovery guys could safely remove the weapon. Floating mines were the same way, they had impact type and magnetic types but they were not switchable. You may have noticed the mines are not always the round type with the impact detonators sticking out all over, attached to an anchor chain. There are various shapes and sizes and relitively smooth. these are magnetic and can be detonated by a passing ship. Mines and torpedoes from WWII are still washing up on shore here. The last time I talked to the local EOD, they had stll not accounted for over 400 mines of the thousands the Navy set in 1942 and 43 in the Dry Tortugas west of Key West. Shrimp boats still drag them up in the nets. These ae large round steel balls that have long rusted thru and sunk. The explosive has washed away. Eod is still responsible for accountibility but there no longer a threat now. I saw a documentry of a WWII Brit eod squad de mil a G 7 after gingerly taking the "stinger" off with their bronze spanner, as not to disturb the magnetic field, they walked off down the beach casually tossing the unit back in the sea.
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