Posted on 02/14/2024 11:53:55 AM PST by Red Badger
Divers from Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) Six, Detachment from Panama City will dispose of unexploded ordnance (UXO) with controlled underwater detonations in the Choctawhatchee Bay Feb. 14, […]
Divers from Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) Six, Detachment from Panama City will dispose of unexploded ordnance (UXO) with controlled underwater detonations in the Choctawhatchee Bay Feb. 14, 2024, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The backup date for the disposal is Feb. 15 if the weather is bad, there are people or water mammals in the area, or other safety concerns are identified by the responders, according to Eglin. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) environmental restoration contractors discovered two World War II-era UXOs off-shore at Eglin AFB’s Bay Range in Shalimar, Florida, near Two Georges Marina on Jan. 15, and a third UXO Jan. 29 during an Air-Force funded routine remedial investigation of the Bay Legacy Range.
The plan is to dispose of the 80-year-old UXOs, two 250-pound bombs and a 1000-pound bomb, the same day to minimize impact to the public. This disposal will not require residential or commercial evacuations and there is no danger to the public, according to a statement from Eglin. “People, vessels, and water-based activities are required to remain clear of the safety zone during these mission times for their safety,” wrote Eglin AFB in a press release.
The safety zone includes all navigable waters of the Choctawhatchee Bay within an up to 2,050 yard radius of approximate position 30°25’52.57314”N, 86°35’08.49867”W, and a moving safety zone around any vessel involved with relocating unexploded ordnance.
The safety zones will be enforced during daylight hours on Feb. 14 and, if required, during the backup date of Feb. 15, 2024. The U.S. Coast Guard Destin and Okaloosa Sheriff’s office will have people in the area to prevent boaters from entering the safety zone.
“We have committed the required resources and conducted exhaustive planning efforts with our partner agencies to ensure the safe disposal of the UXOs,” said Col. Thomas Tauer, 96th Test Wing deputy commander. The UXO disposal mission is a coordinated effort between the 96th Civil Engineer Squadron, the USACE Omaha District Military Munitions Design Center, the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center, the U.S. Navy EOD Mobile Unit SIX Detachment Panama City, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Programs, the U.S. Coast Guard Destin, the Okaloosa County Sheriff Department and its Marine Unit, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“This has been a team effort throughout the process from discovery to planning how to dispose of these UXOs. USACE, the Navy, the Coast Guard, Okaloosa County Sheriff Department-Marine unit, along with multiple state and county agencies have been extraordinarily supportive, and we greatly appreciate their partnership and professional assistance,” Tauer said.
Better check with Z first. He might need them.
I want another 10 seconds of that .gif to see if those guys survived....
Billy Joe McAllister threw ‘em off the bridge there
Stay out of the way down there!
“controlled underwater detonations in the Choctawhatchee Bay”
Yeah, nothing could go wrong with that plan.
This isn’t the worst exploded underwater ordnance USACE has identified…
Did they catch 🎣🎣🎣 anything?
The thousand pounder might get your attention.
Did anyone ask how they got there?
Yawn, wake me you when they find the nuke offa Georgia...
This area was a WWII bombing range..........
The one off of Georgia didn’t have a fuse. The one buried 180ft below Goldsboro, NC does.
I would worry about that one more.
.
Florida Man fishing ....
“So all those zeroes on the right side mean the explosive is bigger? I thought that meant smaller. Shouldn’t have cut so many classes before I quit elementary school at age 16.”
Jeff Foxworthy joke.
Kid: One good thing about them holding Dad back to take fifth grade again this year is now we can walk to school together.
I'd sooner people quit cluttering up posts with lame attempts at gradeschool humor.
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