Bomb disposal experts blow up German mine
ROYAL Navy bomb disposal experts from Portsmouth blew up a huge German Second World War mine off the north Kent coast.
The 1,800lb, eight-feet long device was caught in the nets of a fishing vessel about a mile off Sheerness.
A four-man navy team took the mine out to the safety of open waters and disposed of it in a controlled explosion, nine metres below the surface, on Saturday.
A one-mile exclusion zone was put in place during the operation but shipping lanes in the area were not affected.
Chief Petty Officer Sid Lawrence, who led the team, said: 'These mines were the biggest the Germans made – they were designed to destroy ships the size of aircraft carriers and they caused severe damage to British ships during the war.'
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Weather for Portsmouth
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 15 C to 24 C
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