Surprise on the sea bed for sailors
Sailors mine-sweeping the sea bed discovered an unexploded bomb – with its parachute still attached.
The crew of HMS Brocklesby were scouring the sea during a Nato exercise when they suddenly came across the bomb.
The Portsmouth-based minehunter was using her Sea Fox underwater vehicle to search the water off the coast of Sardinia – renamed Sardros for the fictional conflict.
And there was surprise amongst the crew when they found the ordnance near a bomb testing range.
Brocklesby's Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Tom Tredray, from Emsworth, said: 'We had only been on the exercise a short while when we discovered the bomb.
'It wasn't expected but at the same time it was a great way to get started.
'This is the first real world ordnance that we have come across during this exercise, and it was interesting to see it with the parachute still attached.
'We're not sure what era it's from, but given there's a bombing range nearby it's probably a modern one that fell short.'
The Italians leading the Nato exercise Loyal Mariner in the Mediterranean will decide later how to dispose of the bomb, pictured above.
Brocklesby has been working with other minehunters in the exercise to test the Nato Response Force, which provides security and humanitarian assistance in an emergency.
Lt Cdr Tredray said: 'We frequently work in partnership with other navies and this exercise has been a great opportunity to firm up those interactions.'
Next month Brocklesby will return to her other deployment duties, clearing Second World War ordnance from the shipping lanes of the Channel, North Sea and Baltic Sea.
It follows a spell in the Gulf last year, when the ship's company was embarked in HMS Chiddingfold.
Able Seaman (Minewarfare) Lee Roberts, 27, from Horndean, said: 'Having been to the Gulf and now the Mediterranean we are getting lots of different experience. When we go on up to the north to clear shipping lanes we'll be working in different sea conditions again.'
SEAFOX SYSTEM FITTED
HMS Brocklesby, has only recently been fitted with the Seafox mine disposal system, but the ship's company were the first to trial it when they were in HMS Chiddingfold.
Service personnel from countries including Denmark, France, Germany, Spain and the USA have taken part in Exercise Loyal Mariner 2009.
Aircraft carriers, frigates, submarines, amphibious vessels and minehunters form the high-readiness force.
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Weather for Portsmouth
Saturday 26 May 2012
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