Massive World War II bomb ' Tallboy' detonates underwater in Poland

A massive World War II bomb exploded underwater in Poland on October 12, 2020 during a delicate operation by the Polish Navy. The information was shared by the Navy on its Facebook page. 

Over hundreds of local residents were evacuated from the area ahead of the military operation undertaken by Polish Military Divers to defuse the five-tonne bomb in a channel near the Baltic Sea. No one was harmed during the operation. The operation was initially planned to take until Friday, depending on the weather. 

Bomba #Tallboy, ewenement na skale światową, została skutecznie zneutralizowana przez Grupe Nurkow Minerow 12 Dywizjonu Trałowców 8 Flotylli Obrony Wybrzeża.
Była to pierwsza na świecie neutralizacja bomby tego typu przeprowadzona pod wodą.
Wideo: Politechnika Poznańska / 8FOW pic.twitter.com/wy7HwqGT78

— Dowództwo Generalne (@DGeneralneRSZ) October 13, 2020

The five-tonne bomb— nicknamed “Tallboy”, also known as an “earthquake bomb”, was dropped by the British Royal Air Force in an attack on a Nazi warship in 1945. 

How was the Second World War bomb discovered?

The Second World War bomb was discovered in 2019 during dredging close to the port city of Swinoujscie, which was formerly know as Swinemunde and was a part of Nazi Germany in the far northwest of Poland. It was discovered at a depth of 12 metres (39 feet) in the ground with just its nose sticking out.

Significance

This is the first time that a well preserved World War bomb has been detonated underwater. The spokesperson of the Polish Navy’s 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla, Grzegorz Lewandowski said, "It’s a world first. Nobody has ever defused a Tallboy that is so well preserved and underwater.”

Ahead of the operation, Lewandowski had called it "a very delicate job," adding that "the tiniest vibration could detonate the bomb".

Dziś rozpoczęła się operacja neutralizacji bomby lotniczej #Tallboy - największego niewybuchu znalezionego w 🇵🇱. Żołnierze z 8. Flotylli Obrony Wybrzeża będą w najbliższych dniach przygotowywać niebezpieczny obiekt do neutralizacji. pic.twitter.com/kHu9hKFSli

— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) October 12, 2020

Key Highlights 

•Tallboy, which was more than six metres long, was laden with 2.4 tonnes of explosives that is equal to almost 3.6 tons of TNT.

• The Polish Navy had earlier decided against going for the traditional option of a controlled explosion due to the fear of destroying a nearby bridge.

• The Navy then planned to deploy a technique called deflagration, which involves burning of the explosive charge without causing a detonation using a remotely controlled device to pierce through the shell to begin combustion.

• However, the deflagration process turned into detonation in the end. There was though no risk to the individuals directly involved.

• The bomb can now be considered neutralised.

Hundreds evacuated

Almost around 750 local residents were requested to evacuate beforehand from an area of 2.5 km around the bomb. Some residents though stayed put because of COVID-19 pandemic scare. The evacuated people were being housed at a sports hall during the operation. 

The maritime traffic on the navigation channel and surrounding waterways was also suspended in an area of 16 kilometres around the bomb disposal operation.

Background

Swinoujscie, which was Swinemuende, a part of Germany during World War II was home to one of Germany's most significant Baltic bases. Hence, it was subjected to massive bombardments. 

Tallboy was dropped by the British Royal Air Force in an attack on the Nazi warship Luetzow cruiser in April 1945. The ship's cannons were being used to hold back the advance of the Red Army, (Army of USSR) in the dying days of the war.

On April 16, 1945, the British Royal Air Force sent 18 Lancaster bombers to attack the Luetzow cruiser. The bombers dropped 12 Tallboys, one of which failed to explode at the time. The Tallboy bombs were designed to explode underground next to the intended target, triggering shock waves that would cause massive destruction.