Scotland’s recent unexploded bomb finds

WITH the news of unexploded ordnance being removed from Aberdeen beach, The Scotsman looks at some of the nation’s most explosive finds.

Site investigation company Zetica offers a record of unexploded ordnance across the length and breadth of Scotland. Photo: Zetica.

Aberdeen Beach, October 2015

While the full picture is yet to emerge in regards to the details surrounding this bomb, Aberdeen was one of the worst-hit areas in Scotland during World War II on account of its highly developed harbour. What we do know so far is that that the unexploded item was first reported on Sunday afternoon and was destroyed in a controlled explosion less than 24 hours later, with the city’s Beach Boulevard now fully reopened to traffic.

Gourock, October 2015

A British Mk6 S sea mine had lain undetected on the seabed off the coast of the Inverclyde town for over sixty years before being removed earlier this month. Residents of the town were evacuated for their safety as an indeterminable amount of explosive remained in the device.

Ardrossan, April 2015

When a large sea mine washed up ashore on the Ayrshire coast in spring this year, people were rightly concerned. After intense scrutiny by naval bomb disposal experts, it was revealed that this mine was merely used for training purposes and presented no risk to the public.

Cape Wrath, yearly

Such is the prevalence of unexploded war-era ordnance in this area that Royal Navy divers from Faslane visit the area every year to detonate bombs they find underwater. Not all the bombs they find are from World War II, however, and many of the “practice bombs” dropped by NATO fighters during airborne sorties over Garvie Island are purposely retrieved and exploded by a team from the Northern Diving Group.