Post by Matt on Oct 28, 2009 12:29:28 GMT
Unexploded war mine is detonated
Milford Haven port was closed while the detonation took place
A 300kg German World War II mine discovered at the mouth of the Milford Haven waterway has been safely detonated.
The mine was found on Friday by the Royal Navy minehunter Penzance while carrying out a routine survey exercise.
Divers dug out the mine and moved it to a safer location at Dale Anchorage ahead of the controlled explosion.
The disposal of the wartime bomb was carried out by the Royal Navy Southern Dive Group.
A group spokesman said: "This is a textbook operation for us."
All aspects of the detonation were managed according to health and safety and environmental regulations, and with the support of the Milford Haven Port Authority, the spokesman said.
Important naval base
Officials said the mine had posed no threat to shipping, but the port was temporarily closed while the unexploded device was made safe.
Milford Haven port is the largest in Wales, and home to a giant liquefied gas terminal and petrochemical plants.
During WWII, it was an important naval base, playing a major role in the D-Day landings.
It was also a target for German naval mines, leading to an Australian naval officer, Leon Goldsworthy being awarded the George Cross in 1944 after he defused an acoustic mine that had been in the waterway for more than two years.
*** Extract taken from the BBC Wales news website.
Milford Haven port was closed while the detonation took place
A 300kg German World War II mine discovered at the mouth of the Milford Haven waterway has been safely detonated.
The mine was found on Friday by the Royal Navy minehunter Penzance while carrying out a routine survey exercise.
Divers dug out the mine and moved it to a safer location at Dale Anchorage ahead of the controlled explosion.
The disposal of the wartime bomb was carried out by the Royal Navy Southern Dive Group.
A group spokesman said: "This is a textbook operation for us."
All aspects of the detonation were managed according to health and safety and environmental regulations, and with the support of the Milford Haven Port Authority, the spokesman said.
Important naval base
Officials said the mine had posed no threat to shipping, but the port was temporarily closed while the unexploded device was made safe.
Milford Haven port is the largest in Wales, and home to a giant liquefied gas terminal and petrochemical plants.
During WWII, it was an important naval base, playing a major role in the D-Day landings.
It was also a target for German naval mines, leading to an Australian naval officer, Leon Goldsworthy being awarded the George Cross in 1944 after he defused an acoustic mine that had been in the waterway for more than two years.
*** Extract taken from the BBC Wales news website.
