WW2 British bomb found in Koblenz causes 45000 people evacuation

[JMB]

Here are a couple of links to the RAF Fauld bomb dump explosion of 1944.

Wikipedia Link to Fauld Explosion

Tutbury History Site

Contemporary Aerial View of Fauld Crater

The moral of the story being don't tinker with bombs using incorrect tools. I'm guessing that much of the ordnance stored here wasn't fused, yet it still exploded after the incident with the initial fused bomb. Could this occur with the ordnance on the Sheerness Liberty Ship? An initial explosion (by whatever means - chemical degradation, lightning strike, diving activity etc) triggering the rest of the cargo.

JMB

[fruitbat]

Originally Posted by Kongo-Otto

Ok if this was a Ammo Transport ship which i assume then the Bombs are not equipped with fuzes, so there is a little risk for an explosion, but there is an imminent risk for the enviroment if those stuff contaminates the water.

May i ask how the ship was sunk?
Accident, air raid or U-Boot?

Accident,

Having crossed the Atlantic Ocean with the probability of attack by u-boat, she arrived in the Thames estuary on route to her final destination of Cherbourg. During the night of 20th August 1944 she swung around at her moorings and run aground on the Sheerness middle sand. Her plates quickly began to crack and buckle and her remaining crew abandoned ship.

[Kongo-Otto]

Originally Posted by fruitbat

Accident,

Thanks for your answer.

I hope this takes a good end and not like this one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion