In an unexpected turn of events, a World War II-era U.
S. Navy practice bomb was discovered on the Parajo Dunes in Santa Cruz County on New Year's Eve.
The unexploded ordnance had washed ashore following powerful storms in the Pacific Ocean that generated massive waves along the California coast.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's bomb team was promptly dispatched to the scene. Images shared by the sheriff's office depicted an aged, rusty bomb, encrusted with sea debris, lying on the sands between Santa Cruz and Monterey. Authorities identified the object as an "inert military ordnance."
In a statement released on Facebook, the sheriff's office said, "As a precaution our bomb team responded, deemed it safe, and had it removed from the beach." The artifact was later collected by personnel from Travis Air Force Base, situated approximately 140 miles northeast of the coastal area where the bomb was found.
When contacted for comment, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital. However, Travis Air Force Base confirmed in an email to Fox News Digital that military personnel had indeed recovered the ordnance that washed ashore on December 31.
A spokesperson from the base stated, "After safely performing an on-site visual inspection and x-ray scan, the item was deemed free of explosives and safe to transport to Travis AFB." The spokesperson further identified the object as a "U.S. WWII era Navy practice bomb, model Mk 15, Mod 2." The bomb is currently being held at Travis Explosive Ordnance Disposal to prevent any future concerns.
War artifacts such as bombs, grenades, and mines are seldom found on U.S. shores, unlike in European and Asian countries that experienced aerial bombardment during World War II. However, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warns that these devices still pose a detonation risk decades after defense groups discarded them.
In 2002, an underwater field of discarded munitions was reportedly discovered off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii, by the U.S. Navy's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Detachment. In 2020, military personnel detonated two 100-pound World War II-era gravity bombs and removed other ordnance in the channel between Lanikai Beach and Mokulua North on Oahu, as reported by The Associated Press.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has identified over 400 underwater environments used as defense sites containing unexploded ordnances. This has led to the discovery of munitions on beaches from Hawaii to Maryland, according to the civil and engineering department at the University of Delaware.
The disposal of unexploded munitions was an internationally accepted practice until 1970 when it was banned by the Department of Defense. In 1972, Congress passed the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, prohibiting the disposal of munitions and other pollutants in the ocean.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reported fatalities and severe injuries, including chemical exposures and health effects, due to exposure to military munitions.
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