The 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla informed on Thursday that a WWII era torpedo had been successfully neutralised. The unexploded ordnance had been found close the beach in Gdynia. The Polish Navy assured that the environmental impact of the detonation had been minimised.
Grzegorz Lewandowski of the 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla announced on Thursday that clearance divers from the 13th Minesweeper Division had neutralised a WWII era unexploded ordnance in the Gdańsk Bay.
The operation was carried out as planned, without any surprises and in line with the procedures. A number of institutions were involved in the mission, including Maritime Office in Gdynia, Pomerian Voivodeship Office, Gdynia City Hall, the police, Polish Border Guard, City Guard, and Regional Directorate of Environmental Protection in Gdańsk.
The unexploded torpedo was detonated some 3 nautical miles east of the beach in Babie Doły in Gdynia. It was also confirmed that the ordnance was a German F5 aerial torpedo. It contained 200 kilograms of explosive charge.
"In order to minimise the environmental impact of the detonation, marine mammals and birds were chased away with the use of microcharges, motor boats, and a ship's hydrolocation station," Lewandowski said.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, TVN24 Pomorze
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: 8. Flotylla Obrony Wybrzeża