On New Year’s Eve, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff bomb team successfully retrieved an unexploded WWII-era U.S. Navy practice bomb that had washed ashore on the Parajo Dunes.
The incident was a result of powerful storms in the Pacific Ocean, generating massive waves that impacted the California coast.
Images shared by the sheriff’s office depicted an aged, rusty bomb covered in sea debris on the sands between Santa Cruz and Monterey. Authorities, after examination, confirmed it to be an inert military ordnance.
As a precautionary measure, the bomb team responded promptly, ensuring the area’s safety and subsequently removing the artifact from the beach, as stated in a Facebook post by the sheriff’s office.
Following the retrieval, personnel from Travis Air Force Base, situated approximately 140 miles northeast of the discovery site, took charge of the artifact.
After conducting on-site visual inspections and x-ray scans, the item was declared free of explosives and safe for transportation to Travis AFB. Identified as a U.S. WWII-era Navy practice bomb, model Mk 15, Mod 2, the artifact is presently retained by Travis Explosive Ordnance Disposal to mitigate any future concerns.
