Butterfly bomb found by 11 year old in Malta 29th October 2009

[butterfly]

Have just been searching around the web and came across an article about a 'butterfly bomb' being found on the island of Malta yesterday by an 11 year old boy. It was eventually dealt with by a bomb disposal unit. Not sure how to put links on, but thought it was worth a mention. Google , Malta butterfly bomb for more details.
Hope its of some interest.
Kev

[SG500]

Very interesting Kev.
Just cut and paste the web page out of your browser.
Dave.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news2.asp?artid=96386

[SG500]

This one shows a photo.
Dave.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles...n-qormi-valley

[butterfly]

Very interesting Kev.
Just cut and paste the web page out of your browser.
Dave.

Thanks for that Dave,
Heres another link as well,
Kev

http://f1plus.timesofmalta.com/artic...n-qormi-valley

[butterfly]

Dave, You beat me to it!!!!
interesting article
Kev

[SG500]

Yes, I hadn't realised that someone had died in the 1980's from one exploding - from what I'd read before the latest casualty was in the 1950's - but that was possibly only the UK statistics.
Dave.

[butterfly]

That was a surprise to me as well, I had also read that the last person to die from an SD2 was Flt Lieutenant F.H. Derrington RAF, on 27th November 1956 (killed when a butterfly bomb that he was working on exploded at the RAF bomb cemetery Upminster Essex.) According to my records your quite right Dave, in saying that it was the last recorded UK death, as a result of butterfly bombs.
I hadn't heard of this case in Malta either. But guess thats what happens when you try to weld a bar to an unexploded butterfly bomb to make a mallet. Guess the guy thought he'd unearthed an old mallet head, being a farmer, look a very similar size. Goes to show just how deadly these things remain after so long in the ground.

Heres my advice, for what its worth!!! Do not mess with any item found- it isn't worth it - leave it to the experts to deal with!!!
Kev

[waffenamt]

Top thread lads and well done to you both digging out info like that.

cheers

waff

[V40]

I agree, don't mess with this stuff, let the professional EODers handle them. Now, a question to all EOD's. I was told by my instructor that if I ever came across one (which I highly doubted any way, since none were dropped here in the usa) He told me to blow it in place and screw the structures nearby. He said that they are just way too sensitive to try a dismantiling. Was he correct or did I get a line of BS?


Also a person lost there life nearby ne a few years back. He was looking for a 40mm Bofors round because he was on station of one during drills when he was in the Navy in the 60's. He wanted the projectile out of the case to show people (family and friends) all parts of the 40 Bofors. His wife was cooking dinner upstairs and his children were up there also playing. He took a couple of hits with the hammer,; the wife said she heard four hits and on the fifth came the explosion that shook the house. Everybody ran downstairs to find there Father holding his neck with both hands as blood spurted out between the fingers and having that lok of "Oh my Lord save me I know I am going to die in a few seconds, my looks at me and tells me she loves me while screaming for help. And my daughters looking at him so innocently and wondering what had happened to Daddy!" He died right there as the paramedics got to their house. Extremely sad story. When I read about it in the newspaper I was almost in tears. I ask myself to this day, why did he not notice that the primer was a live one and not punched.

[US-Subs]

I agree, don't mess with this stuff, let the professional EODers handle them. Now, a question to all EOD's. I was told by my instructor that if I ever came across one (which I highly doubted any way, since none were dropped here in the usa) He told me to blow it in place and screw the structures nearby. He said that they are just way too sensitive to try a dismantiling. Was he correct or did I get a line of BS?


Also a person lost there life nearby ne a few years back. He was looking for a 40mm Bofors round because he was on station of one during drills when he was in the Navy in the 60's. He wanted the projectile out of the case to show people (family and friends) all parts of the 40 Bofors. His wife was cooking dinner upstairs and his children were up there also playing. He took a couple of hits with the hammer,; the wife said she heard four hits and on the fifth came the explosion that shook the house. Everybody ran downstairs to find there Father holding his neck with both hands as blood spurted out between the fingers and having that lok of "Oh my Lord save me I know I am going to die in a few seconds, my looks at me and tells me she loves me while screaming for help. And my daughters looking at him so innocently and wondering what had happened to Daddy!" He died right there as the paramedics got to their house. Extremely sad story. When I read about it in the newspaper I was almost in tears. I ask myself to this day, why did he not notice that the primer was a live one and not punched.

In very general terms that is correct. The dismantling of any munition carries an inherent risk, even with the most basic of fuzes. The level of risk goes up correspondingly with different fuzes and how the munition has deteriorated. And the risk further rises the closer you get to the munition and the more you interact with it.

For some munitions there is a render safe procedure, which may be attempted. For some pieces this works well, for some it does not. Regardless, it is in nearly every case done remotely, because as your friend was trying to say, (in peacetime) no piece of equipment or property is worth a life. Anytime you attempt a render safe procedure you do it with the understanding that this interaction could result in detonation.

This does not mean that you simply detonate the item. There are numerous methods used to try and save property (protective works) to include building barricades, trenching, etc. There are also methods of attacking the munition to that it does not fully detonate, or detonates in a less violent manner.

There will be a large number of people that will read this that have done certain procedures on their own, without formal training, specialised equipment or designated areas. They are fools, and by their lack of understanding they risk themselves, their neighbors and family members and the future of the collecting community. Think of that the next time you see a post describing something that someone found dug or sea recovered and brought home, then posted asking what it is. First rule, if you don't know it, its condition and the hazards it represents (how can you know the hazards if you don't know what it is?) then you don't touch, don't move.