Fishing crews trolling approximately 4 miles off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island drew in a potentially lethal catch when the nets they were dragging caught a depth charge dating back to the anti-submarine warfare of World War II.
When the ordnance was uncovered, the staff called the U.S. Coast Guard, who after that requested assistance from the U.S. Navy.
A spokesperson for the Navy said that Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 12 out of Newport, Rhode Island reacted and also acquired the device, determined to be a World War II MK6 depth charge.
The EODMU detonated the 520-pound depth charge undersea, approximately a mile from the coastline. The weapon contained 267 pounds of explosive.
Coast Guard teams assisted by keeping a one-mile perimeter from the scene.
“The safety of people and the environment are our top priority in these situations,” the spokesperson said. “For that reason, the U.S. Navy coordinated detonation with the State of Rhode Island department of Environmental Management and NOAA to ensure the safety of people and the surrounding environment, including the wildlife.”
According to the Navy spokesman, the area the fishing vessel was trolling their nets was the site of a WWII battle.
That battle occurred off Point Judith, Rhode Island, simply down the coastline from Narragansett, on May 6, 1945.
During the fight, German U-boat 853 was sunk by a U.S. Navy destroyer and also a U.S. Coast Guard Frigate. The American forces dropped 195 depth charges into the water to beat the German sub.
“When individuals encounter what may be ordnance, they should not move or touch any possible ordnance,” the Navy spokesperson said. “For a maritime-related discovery, as was the case with the anglers, calling the U.S. Coast Guard is paramount. If ordnance is discovered on land or a beach, people should immediately notify their local law enforcement.”
Unexploded ordnance is not uncommon off of the U.S. Eastern Seaboard where anti-submarine warfare against the Third Reich raged even before American involvement in WWII. At least 20 U-boat wrecks are found off the coast of several states including Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and North Carolina. Many of these were sunk with similar depth charges leaving many unexploded on the seafloor.
