Diver finds WWII era explosive off coast of Fort Pierce
By Caleb Califano
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FORT PIERCE, Florida (WPBF) — An unusual underwater discovery led to a temporary beach closure in St. Lucie County over the weekend after a scuba diver found what authorities later confirmed was a World War II explosive.
The discovery was made by diver Tom Gramlich, who regularly dives along the Treasure Coast. Gramlich says he was diving near Pepper Park when he spotted an old metal object in shallow water.
“As I was coming in, I looked down, and I saw some kind of strange object,” Gramlich said. “I reached down, picked it up, had it in my hand, and I realized this looks like a World War II mortar.”
Once he realized what he had found, Gramlich says he immediately contacted authorities. Deputies secured the beach and called in the bomb squad, which moved the device to a safe area and conducted a controlled detonation.
“They put their explosives around it, filled it back up with sand, and then a short time later, they detonated it,” Gramlich said. “You saw a big explosion on the beach that sent sand and debris sky high.”
Officials say this is not the first time military ordnance has been found off the Treasure Coast. According to Andy Brady with the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum, the area has deep ties to WWII history.
Brady says in 1943, the U.S. military took control of more than 20,000 acres in the region for amphibious warfare training ahead of the Normandy invasion. That training involved the use of live explosives, some of which are still occasionally discovered decades later.
“If you ever find something like this, retreat, report it, leave it alone, and call the Corps or the bomb squad,” Brady said.
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