A weathered bomb washed up on a California beach. Authorities determined it was a WWII-era practice bomb
A rusty bomb covered in debris washed up on a California shore days after heavy surf pounded the coastline.
A weathered bomb washed up on California's Pajaro Dunes days after heavy surf churned along the coast. (Santa Cruz County Sheriff)
(CNN) — A rusty bomb covered in debris washed up on a California shore days after heavy surf pounded the coastline.
On New Year’s Eve, the Santa Cruz County sheriff’s bomb squad headed out to inspect the bomb at Pajaro Dunes, located between Santa Cruz and Monterey.
After an x-ray scan and visual inspection, authorities determined the device was an inert military ordnance – an item with no explosive materials,the sheriff’s office said on social media.
Once the bomb squad deemed the item safe, they called in personnel from the Travis Air Force Base to remove and transport the inert device, according to the sheriff’s office.
The device was later determined to be a US World War II-era Navy practice bomb, according to a statement from Travis Air Force Base, and it will remain with the base’s explosive ordnance disposal.
A weathered bomb washed up on California's Pajaro Dunes days after heavy surf churned along the coast. (Santa Cruz County Sheriff)
The sheriff’s office shared photos of the device, weathered with age but recognizable for its distinctive missile shape.
The beach where the old bomb washed up was among the areas evacuated last week as huge waves – some as high as 25 to 30 feet – churned along the California coast due to a series of powerful storms in the Pacific Ocean.
The-CNN-Wire
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