Second World War mine excavated and neutralised in Swinoujscie - video

Last weekend, sailors from the 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla had a lot of work to do to excavate and neutralise a huge unexploded ordnance from the Second World War. The operation was carried out according to plan, but due to the possible danger, almost 160 residents had to be evacuated.

The unexploded ordnance found at a depth of 6 metres near the exit of the Piastowski Channel to the Szczecin Lagoon is a British Mark IV air mine, weighing 750 kg and containing over 400 kg of explosives. The threat was eliminated and the mine was excavated and neutralised last Sunday, July 14.

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The operation was carried out by sailors and mine divers of the 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla. The action involved the crew of the mine destroyer ORP Flaming from the 13th minesweeper Squadron and soldiers and the Mine Divers Group from the 12th minesweeper Squadron.

Before the dangerous find could be retrieved, a reconnaissance survey had to be carried out to identify the object and assess its condition and the scale of the threat. For this purpose underwater specialists from the Group of Divers of the 12th minesweeper Squadron were sent under water. As a result of their work, the find was classified as a British aerial sea mine, type Mark IV, from the World War II period.

Due to the scale of the threat, as well as the complexity of the operation, crisis management teams were established at the West Pomeranian Voivodeship Office and at the City Hall in Świnoujście. After a thorough analysis, a date for excavation and neutralisation of the find was set.

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“In the first phase of the operation, divers descended to the mine. They attached ropes and buoyancy pontoons, with the help of which they brought it to the water surface. Then the mine was attached to the ship’s crane, taken out of the water and transferred on board of the mine destroyer ORP “Flaming”. The mine was then transported through the Piast and Mielinski channels, through the port of Swinoujscie to the Pomeranian Bay, where it was finally neutralized on one of the maritime training grounds located north-east of Swinoujscie, at a depth of several metres.

During the excavation and transport of the mine out of the port of Świnoujście certain safety zones for residents and restrictions on navigation in the Szczecin Lagoon, the Szczecin-Swinoujscie waterway and the Pomeranian Bay were in force. During the transportation of the mine through the channel, people were evacuated from the areas closest to the quays and the operation of ferries on both Swinoujscie crossings was temporarily suspended. Short-term restrictions were also introduced for train traffic.” – we can read on the website of the 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla[/blockquote].

Source and Photo: 8fow.wp.mil.pl
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