Royal Navy divers safely destroy 2,000lb German sea mine near the Needles after it was dredged up by fishermen

NAVY divers have safely destroyed a 2,000lb sea mine mistakenly dredged up by Solent fishermen.
By ron Melton
Published 19th May 2019, 14:39 BST
Water soars as Royal Navy bomb disposal experts safely destroy a 2,000lb German sea mine, which was dredged up by a fishing boat. Picture: Portsmouth Naval Base on Twitter (@HMBNPortsmouth)Water soars as Royal Navy bomb disposal experts safely destroy a 2,000lb German sea mine, which was dredged up by a fishing boat. Picture: Portsmouth Naval Base on Twitter (@HMBNPortsmouth)
Water soars as Royal Navy bomb disposal experts safely destroy a 2,000lb German sea mine, which was dredged up by a fishing boat. Picture: Portsmouth Naval Base on Twitter (@HMBNPortsmouth)

The 7ft Second World War-era device, thought to be German, was discovered by sailors about a mile off the Needles, near the Isle of Wight, at about 8am on Saturday. 

Images captured by the Royal Navy today show water at the scene soaring into the air as the mine was safely destroyed. 

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Divers had to carefully place the device back on to the seabed to enable the disposal. 

Water soars as Royal Navy bomb disposal experts safely destroy a 2,000lb German sea mine, which was dredged up by a fishing boat. Picture: Portsmouth Naval Base on Twitter (@HMBNPortsmouth)Water soars as Royal Navy bomb disposal experts safely destroy a 2,000lb German sea mine, which was dredged up by a fishing boat. Picture: Portsmouth Naval Base on Twitter (@HMBNPortsmouth)
Water soars as Royal Navy bomb disposal experts safely destroy a 2,000lb German sea mine, which was dredged up by a fishing boat. Picture: Portsmouth Naval Base on Twitter (@HMBNPortsmouth)

A Portsmouth Naval Base spokesperson praised ‘our heroes for keeping our waters safe’ as they ‘started their Sunday with a boom’. 

Duty controller Piers Stanbury said on Saturday: ‘From what we can tell from the pictures and the information from the EOD, this is most likely an old German wartime sea mine.'

The Royal Navy warned nearby vessels of the discovery on Saturday.

Related topics:Royal NavyIsle of Wight