Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 11-10-2013, 05:26   #1
cruiser

Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: medusa NY
Boat: Tayana Surprise 45 schooner "Union Pacific"
Posts: 2,097
Caution, explosives dumping area????

so i was reviewing my charts for our coastal trip, and found this marked on a chart:
Explosives dumping area.
WHAT????
why would they dump explosives off the coast of jersey?
scoobert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2013, 05:32   #2
Registered User
 
Captain Bill's Avatar

Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Punta Gorda, Fl
Boat: Endeavourcat Sailcat 44
Posts: 3,173
Re: Caution, explosives dumping area????

I guess it was better than dumping them on New Jersey, then again maybe not.
Captain Bill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2013, 05:39   #3
Marine Service Provider
 
Snore's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
Boat: Retired Delivery Capt
Posts: 3,683
Send a message via Skype™ to Snore
Quote:
Originally Posted by scoobert View Post
so i was reviewing my charts for our coastal trip, and found this marked on a chart: Explosives dumping area. WHAT???? why would they dump explosives off the coast of jersey?
And you call yourself a New Yorker!!!!

Everyone knows that New Jersey is the official dumping ground.....
__________________
"Whenever...it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off- then, I account it high time to get to sea..." Ishmael
Snore is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2013, 05:39   #4
Registered User
 
Zanshin's Avatar

Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Caribbean
Boat: Jeanneau 57
Posts: 2,269
Images: 2
Re: Caution, explosives dumping area????

The charts of the Baltic around Germany are covered with areas like that, often marked with "anchoring prohibited" just to make sure nobody tries to snag a WWII 500 pounder.
__________________
Zanshin sailing
Zanshin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2013, 05:40   #5
Marine Service Provider
 
Snore's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
Boat: Retired Delivery Capt
Posts: 3,683
Send a message via Skype™ to Snore
Okay seriously. This could be from WWII when Floyd. Bennett and Idlewild were training airports for air crews.
__________________
"Whenever...it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off- then, I account it high time to get to sea..." Ishmael
Snore is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2013, 05:41   #6
cat herder, extreme blacksheep

Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: furycame alley , tropics, mexico for now
Boat: 1976 FORMOSA yankee clipper 41
Posts: 18,967
Images: 56
Re: Caution, explosives dumping area????

mebbe you finally found jimmy hoffa...or judge crater....
zeehag is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2013, 05:42   #7
cruiser

Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: medusa NY
Boat: Tayana Surprise 45 schooner "Union Pacific"
Posts: 2,097
Re: Caution, explosives dumping area????

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zanshin View Post
The charts of the Baltic around Germany are covered with areas like that, often marked with "anchoring prohibited" just to make sure nobody tries to snag a WWII 500 pounder.
wow, are they not worried about al queda?
i mean free explosives, isn't that a risk? or can a jihadist not read charts?

and no. they should not have been dumped on jersey, just DC.
scoobert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2013, 05:55   #8
Registered User
 
ontherocks83's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Warwick RI
Boat: Catalina 30
Posts: 1,873
Re: Caution, explosives dumping area????

They're left over munitions from past wars when it was safer and more economical to dump them in the ocean then disassemble them. You can find those grounds every where along the coast. Most likely they are all inert by now from corrosion but I wouldn't want to dive all the way down to one and start tapping on it with a hammer.

As far as threats go there are much easier ways for them to get their hands on explosives then to dive hundreds of feet below the surface to get a rusted out unstable most likely wont work mine. Remember where they come from those things are a lot easier to come by.
ontherocks83 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2013, 05:56   #9
cruiser

Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: medusa NY
Boat: Tayana Surprise 45 schooner "Union Pacific"
Posts: 2,097
Re: Caution, explosives dumping area????

ok, so we are talking WW2 then? yeah, i would say they are useless at this point.
scoobert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2013, 06:25   #10
Registered User

Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Baltic Sea / Kiel Canal
Posts: 293
Re: Caution, explosives dumping area????

Not unsual for us here in Northern Germany that special ships turn around in a marked area. Few miles from my home were explosives dumped End of WWII. Often they blast controlled old ammunition, mines, torpedos etc.
Sometimes people find phosphor on the beaches but it looks like amber and it burns when in contact with oxygen.
In Spring a new sonar were tested in Kiel Harbour and they found old british mines in the fairway.
Every new construction area has to be checked for duds and there are lots of duds in Germany.
Tellus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2013, 06:37   #11
Registered User
 
Zanshin's Avatar

Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Caribbean
Boat: Jeanneau 57
Posts: 2,269
Images: 2
Re: Caution, explosives dumping area????

I had to spend two nights on the street last year here in Munich, when a new building construction site found an old American 500 pounder (underneath what used to be one of the city's loudest and wildest discos, no less) which couldn't be made safe and had to be detonated. (Bombe in München entschärft - Keine Verletzten, viele kaputte Fensterscheiben - YouTube) Thousands of pounds of old munitions still get discovered in Germany annually.

Anyway, those sites marked on the chart are indeed post WW-II sites. Most of the HE used early on (amatol, picrates, etc.) will have become almost inert by chemical decomposition by now, but the later stuff has a longer shelf life and I certainly wouldn't want to experiment.

Some of those areas were also, at some point in time, used for bombing and shelling exercises and those locales would also be marked as dangerous due to unexploded ordnance.
__________________
Zanshin sailing
Zanshin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2013, 06:39   #12
Moderator
 
Pete7's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Solent, England
Boat: Moody 31
Posts: 18,423
Images: 22
Re: Caution, explosives dumping area????

Quote:
Originally Posted by scoobert View Post
ok, so we are talking WW2 then? yeah, i would say they are useless at this point.
Wreck of a British Armoured Cruiser HMS Drake on Rathlin Island, Northern Island has spread cordite (like uncooked spagetti) around the bay. Children dry it out and use it like sparklers and that is WW1 vintage.

There is a US wreck in the Thames Estuary called the SS Richard Montgomery with 1400 tones on board. Fine whilst underwater but if it went bang.... Sadly it can't now be touched because the wreck and the shell cases are so badly corroded so no chance of disposing of the problem.

As a diver I would regularly find explosives and ammunitions, indeed the brass shell cases are quite valuable. However, the concern was always phosporous which will self ignite in air.

Pete
Pete7 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2013, 06:40   #13
cat herder, extreme blacksheep

Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: furycame alley , tropics, mexico for now
Boat: 1976 FORMOSA yankee clipper 41
Posts: 18,967
Images: 56
Re: Caution, explosives dumping area????

not necessarily useless as folks occasionally get injuries form unexploded ordinance going boom while folks are swimming, as happened in culebra not too long ago.
zeehag is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2013, 06:50   #14
Marine Service Provider

Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: north carolina
Boat: command yachtsdouglas32
Posts: 3,113
Re: Caution, explosives dumping area????

Quote:
Originally Posted by scoobert View Post
wow, are they not worried about al queda?
i mean free explosives, isn't that a risk? or can a jihadist not read charts?

and no. they should not have been dumped on jersey, just DC.
While living in Micronesia we would see explosives in places that would suprise you...Lots of guys would dive on old ships and retreve un-exploded ordinence to make fish bombs with ,some had a few fingers missing others had whole hands missing! I found 2 grenades(japanese)and a rare snipers rifle with a bullet hole in the side of the mag and a live shell in the chamber ,you could see that he took a round as he was trying to fire on someone and the shell that was hit in the chamber exploded and the guy feel from the tree and all his belongings were in "situ" where he fell..Caves full of rockets and shore guns still pointing out to see are commen in Saipan,Truk,Yap etc...
tropicalescape is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-10-2013, 07:04   #15
Registered User

Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 1,110
Re: Caution, explosives dumping area????

Quote:
Originally Posted by scoobert View Post
so i was reviewing my charts for our coastal trip, and found this marked on a chart:
Explosives dumping area.
WHAT????
why would they dump explosives off the coast of jersey?
Interesting.... Finally a senario where I would wish I had a lighter anchor.
Fuss is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 01:23.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.