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Guam bomb experts defuse 500-lb WWII bomb
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Posted on Dec 05 2013
SANTA RITA, Guam—Sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 5 Det. Marianas successfully performed a render safe procedure at 5:20pm on a World War II-era 500-lb bomb found on the Naval Magazine.
Members of Guam Police Department and Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense partnered with the Navy to inform the public of the RSP operation, evacuate homes within the safety zone, and restrict public access on Route 5 and 12 immediately outside the Naval Magazine gate entrance.
EODMU-5 identified the World War II era ordnance as an AN-M64 500-lb bomb, which needed to be handled properly before it could be safely transferred out of the area for disposal. On site the team disarmed the bomb through two separate RSP procedures to disable the nose and tail fuses. As a safety precaution, military and civilian personnel were evacuated outside of a 2150 ft. radius of the unexploded ordnance.
EODMU-5 Det. Marianas officer-in-charge Lt. Dhruv Parashar said that anyone digging in Guam should use caution and, if they find something, to contact authorities and vacate the area to ensure their safety.
“A lot of World War II unexploded ordnance that we handle is found when a construction crew is digging in an area that no one has been in many years” said Parashar. “My advice is if anyone hits something metallic while digging, to take a careful look at what they hit, don’t touch it, and if there is any doubt call 911 and leave the area immediately.”
For more information on EODMU-5 Det. Marianas, visit the command’s website at http://www.eodmu5.navy.mil/.
