Navy prepares to detonate mine
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
The Royal Navy was today preparing to detonate a 2,000lb Second World War mine picked up at sea by a dredger.
The device was found eight nautical miles off the coast of Essex at 9am yesterday morning.
Karl Bigwood from the Walton and Frinton lifeboat crew described it as one of the largest the station had dealt with.
"There are lots of bombs out there but that was one of the largest, and to get stuck in a dredger's suction pipe is quite unusual.
"That size of bomb isn't normally around," he said.
A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokeswoman said the Royal Navy planned to explode the mine by 10.30am today.
She said: "Thames Coastguard put an exclusion zone around the vessel of one nautical mile. They put a Royal Navy diving unit onboard yesterday morning and they are still onboard now.
"They are going to take the bomb off, put it on a flotation device, take it away from the dredger and detonate it."
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments