/EINPresswire.com/ MAST (Maritime Asset Security and Training) ltd is providing technical assistance to the award-winning Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower in Gosport, Hampshire, helping positively identify a World War II bomb and confirm that it is safely deactivated.
The “Explosion” museum of naval warfare is housed within an 18th century buildings at the Royal Navy’s former armaments depot of Priddy’s Hard, in Gosport, Hampshire. Mr Nick Hewitt, the Curator of the museum currently managed by the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust, contacted MAST’s EOD team and requested assistance in order to positively identify a WWII vintage bomb case. MAST’s EOD Supervisor, Alistair Jackson, subsequently helped provide support and investigate the museum artifact.
After a detailed inspection and a little research, Alistair positively verified the bomb as a German WWII SD 50 and confirmed the item was free from explosives. The German 50kg aircraft bomb was the smallest conventional bomb in the German armoury during the Second World War and this particular version was designed as an anti-personnel or semi-armour-piercing bomb.
Richard Battrick, the EOD Technical Director at MAST stated:
“Our EOD expertise and ability to support international operations can be used to detect, locate, identify, dispose or remove Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) prevalent in areas designated for redevelopment either on land or underwater, contaminated as a result of conflict in the region. These sites may have been designated ordnance dumping sites, areas affected by ammunition stockpiling or contaminated as a result of military activity.
“We were delighted to support Nick Hewitt and the team at Explosion as we have such an affinity with Portsmouth Harbour, where most of our men trained with the Royal Navy.”
The body of the SD 50 is a one piece steel casting and when machined down, it has provision for one transverse fuze pocket, just forward of the horizontal carrying lug. It is threaded at the base to accept a male type filling lug. Either the type 1 or type 2 tail assemblies can be used. The type 1 tail assembly has a cast alloy adapter with sheet steel vanes and the four vanes are unsupported. The type 2 assembly is a one-piece construction of cast magnesium alloy, again without any strut support to the tail fins. In addition to the horizontal carrying lug, there are threads machined in the nose to take an “eye” type lug for vertical suspension in the aircraft.
The Luftwaffe bombers dropped a wide a variety of bombs over Britain during WII. Although this particular bomb was the smallest at 50kg, some larger variants were 2500 kg in weight. The explosive fill in an SD50 was 16.4 kg of TNT, the single fuze fitted would have been either a 55, 55A, or E1AZ (38) for water targets.
MAST EOD were able to certify the SD50 as being “Free From Explosives” (FFE) and now the Museum plan to display the bomb case to the public once it has been fully refurbished.
The museum is housed in a group of listed buildings which centre around the original powder magazine of 1771. These sit on the edge of a delightful camber basin on the western shore of Portsmouth Harbour, with views across to Portchester Castle, Whale Island and the Naval Base.
-ENDS-
For media enquires contact:
Andrew Adie / Alistair Kellie
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7680 6550
Andrew.Adie@newgatecomms.com; Alistair.Kellie@newgatecomms.com
About MAST
Maritime Asset Security and Training (MAST) Ltd is a market leading security organisation that provides specialist global security services for the maritime community. Holding membership of leading professional bodies, MAST is also ISO 9001:2008 accredited for the provision of global maritime security services for the shipping and yachting industry. The Company is one of the founding signatories of the International Code of Conduct and has been scrutinised and accepted by some of world’s leading shipping companies, charterers and insurers.