(KRON) – An inert military ordnance washed up on a California beach over the weekend, prompting local authorities to contact specialists at the Travis Air Force Base for disposal.
Deputies with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office were notified of a surprising find at the Pajaro Dunes on Sunday, following recent storms along the coastline the week before. The office’s bomb team responded to the scene, where they determined the ordnance to be “safe,” deputies wrote on Facebook.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office also called in experts from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team at Travis Air Force Base in Solano County.
“After safely performing an on-site visual inspection and x-ray scan, the item was deemed free of explosives and safe to transport to Travis AFB,” a communications official from the military base told Nexstar.
The device, according to Travis Air Force Base, is a WWII-era practice bomb used by the U.S. Navy — specifically, model MK 15, Mod 2.
“It is currently being retained with Travis EOD and will remain in place to prevent future concerns,” reads a statement from Travis AFB.
As surprising as Sunday’s discovery was, it’s not the first time an inert military device turned up in an unexpected place: In 2018, a dog park in nearby San Benito County was closed after another World War II-era practice bomb was found at the site.
