Advertisement

Royal Navy Detonates World War II Mine Off Scotland's West Coast

The United Kingdom’s Royal Navy detonated a World War II-era mine found off the coast of Scotland after identifying the well-preserved explosive as a “significant hazard.”

In a December 2 release, the Royal Navy said the German mine had been found by fishermen in the Firth of Clyde, a body of water along Scotland’s west coast. The fishing boat’s crew were evacuated, and the mine was brought to Ettrick Bay, where it was lowered to the seafloor.

There, the mine, which contained some 350kg of explosive, was detonated on the seafloor near Ettrick Beach. This video, released by the Royal Navy, shows water and mud flung high into the air by the force of the detonation. Credit: Royal Navy via Storyful