UXB or Fizzy Drink

On Saturday the team were made aware of a possible piece of ordnance in the dunes to the north of Knoll Beach.

Along with Dorset Police , the team headed towards the National Trust Rangers who were guarding the area. 

With a really careful look , it was soon discovered the item was in fact a can of fizzy drink, but the story doesn't quite end there.

The can was sealed  and had "Pepsi Cola" written on the side.
 A little bit of research told us the company Pepsi Cola was formed in 1898 and  in 1961 just became "Pepsi" - there is a strong chance that someone dropped this during the D-Day Practise on Studland in 1944 as it wasn't on general sale in the UK.

If you find something on the beach and not sure what it is - don't touch it , call 999 Coastguard.

Busy, Busy, Busy

The first Saturday of the school holidays brought a very busy day for the Coastguard volunteers, with 8 incidents recorded through the day.

The day started just around 11.00am when the team met a local dive boat from which a diver had been airlifted a short time earlier.  The diver, returning from the Everleigh wreck had planned to take a scheduled 10-metre stop on his ascent, but had lost control of his buoyancy and despite his buddy's best efforts, had continued to the surface.  He showed no symptoms of the bends, but after a call to the dive doctor, was airlifted to the compression chamber in Poole anyway.  The team liaised with the diveboat skipper and the diver's buddy to check their welfare and to collect background information leading up to the incident.

Incidents continued to occur during the day, and the next task was to clear Studland beach so that the Royal Navy EOD team from Plymouth could blow up some wartime ordnance discovered there.

World War II munitions discovered on Studland Beach

Working with Police and National Trust to clear a very busy Knoll Beach

That done, there were two separate boats in trouble that the team kept a look out for and watch over,  before setting off for the mouth of the Wareham River where there was an 80-year old boater stuck in the mud on a low tide. In the event, our colleagues from Poole lifeboat undertook this rescue and the team returned to Studland where they supported Police and Ambulance services in the immediate aftermath of a road traffic accident on the Studland Road.  First aid support was provided to the Paramedic and logistical support to the Police.

Eyes On

On returning to the station, the team were just washing the vehicle down when they heard a Mayday call from a yacht on fire off the Training Bank at Studland Beach. After liaising with the National Maritime Operations Centre, and not knowing if casualties were likely to be in the water, the team made good speed to the site ready to provide sitreps to the NMOC and to deal with any casualties and / or debris washed on to the beach.  In the event, Poole ALB extinguished the fire and the casualties were transferred by Poole ILB to the Poole pilot boat and taken ashore.  Once the fire was out the lifeboats towed the burnt out yacht to Poole and the Coastguard team set off back to base.

The yacht crew were rescued by Poole ILB before Poole ALB tackled the fire

The day was not quite done yet, and a direct call from a local family saw first aid advice and support given to an unwell relative.  The team advised the tasking of an ambulance and waited until the paramedics were on scene.

Finally, some 12 hours after the initial call out, the vehicle was returned to the station, the logs written up and the lights turned out on a busy day.

Boom!

It's strange how we seem to go through a 'run' of similar jobs.  A few months ago we were undertaking a few searches, but now it appears to be ordnance season with the team being tasked following the discovery of an intact shell at Studland this afternoon.

The Navy EOD team were already in Dorset from an earlier incident, and didn't take long to reach the scene, thanks in part to the police 4-wheel-drive 'Rhino' which makes light work of ferrying personnel and equipment across the beach and through the dunes.

As it wasn't clear whether the shell had previously denotated, the decision was made to destroy it on scene and the coastguard team, assisted by police and National Trust staff cleared an area of beach and maintained a safe cordon.

A few minutes and one loud boom later, the item was made safe and the beach reopened to the public.

They Don't Grow on Trees....or do they?

This is Barney and his son Reuben from Andover who were out in Studland on Saturday when they spotted what looked like a bomb in a tree and contacted the Coastguard, although by the time of this photograph the ordnance, dating from WWII, had been declared safe.

Once the ordnance had been declared safe, the family pose for a quick photo before the item was returned to the EOD team for removal and disposal. 

The heavily corroded item was found lodged in the branches of a silver birch tree on the harbour side of the Ferry Road in Studland and so, having cordoned off the area, police and Coastguard called the Army bomb disposal experts for advice.  The Army EOD team suspected the device could still be explosive and set off from their base in Wiltshire. 

The Coastguard Team assisted with implementing and maintaining a safe cordon

On their arrival, the device was X-Rayed and analysed whereupon it was found to be solid inside rather than liquid.  It was confirmed to be safe and removed from the site by road.  It is believed the item was an armour piercing solid shot, although quite what would have fired it or left it there is unknown.  Had it been highly explosive, the intention was to bury it and detonate it on the beach, and the further team members would have been paged to 'sweep' the beach and keep it free of people.


Declared safe by the Army EOD team, this ordnance never contained explosives.

We ran some blogs on ordnance only a few weeks ago, and this is typical of the many pieces of ordnance to be found in and around Studland.



 

The armour piercing shot was lodged several feet up in a tree

So how did it get in the tree?  Good question, and the only logical answer is that someone must have picked it up and put it there.  The tree certainly wasn't there 70 years ago for it to land in!

Was that a good idea?  Not really.  Whoever picked it up couldn't have been sure what it was and disturbing it could have set it off. 

What should have happened?  Whenever you find ordnance, or something you suspect to be ordnance in and around the beach or coast area, 999 Coastguard.   (If you find ordnance further inland call 999 Police.  And if you cant decide who to ask for, call 999 anyway and describe what you have found).  Stand well clear and wait for further instruction.

Once the item had been removed, the road and ferry which were closed for about 3 hours were reopened.

Not sure what you have found ?

So over the Christmas holidays you are out on the beach and you find something that looks out of place on the beach.

Thousands of pieces of ordnance are still out at sea and wash up on the coastline of the UK.

If you find something, don't touch - call 999 and ask for Coastguard.

What is it?

A stroll along the beach at the weekend revealed this object washed up - or more likely, uncovered by the winds and rains having been washed up or left there some years ago.

Does anyone out there know what it is or was used for?  If you do, please comment below.  Its not in the best of health, but I'm sure a spray of WD40 and some TLC should soon see it as good as new!

It is generally accepted that there's lots of spent and un-spent ordnance in and around the bay, and the stormy weather that we've seen lately often uncovers some of it and brings it into view.
If you do spot anything that you believe to be ordnance, or believe could be ordnance, do not touch it, do not pick it up, but call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.