Sunday morning on a Broward beach: a naval sea mine, the U.S. Air Force and a bomb squad
Part of the beach in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea was closed most of Sunday morning after a naval sea mine washed ashore.
Broward Sheriff’s Office said a deputy spotted the mine — which had “inert” and “property of US Navy” written on it — around 2:30 a.m. After BSO determined it was a “possible military explosive device,” the bomb squad was called along with the U.S. Air Force.
They subsequently figured out the mine was safe and moved it. The area of the beach where it was found, near the north end of El Mar Drive, remained shut down until about 10:15 a.m.
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Because the mine was marked “inert” means it might have been used as a dummy device for training purposes.
The Miami Herald reached out to Navy officials late Sunday but did not receive an immediate response.
This story was originally published April 4, 2021 at 5:22 PM.
