On Friday, Nov. 6 about 6 p.m., while working to restore Pond No. 3 near gate three on base, a crew scanning the surface waters with a metal detector for debris discovered an unexploded mid-twentieth century 5 inch rocket. The area was cordoned off, the ordnance sand-bagged and guards were set to keep people away from any potential danger.
On Saturday morning, an ordnance disposal team from Dahlgren arrived and took over the investigation. The Dahlgren team removed the rocket from the Pond area and moved it to a remote site on base. The rocket was buried and sand-bagged. The team then exploded the ordnance.
According to base Public Information Officer Rick Thompson, the rocket was rusted and had deteriorated with age and when it was destroyed, the explosion was “anticlimactic.”
When asked if it was common to find unexploded ordnances on base, Thompson indicated that it was the first time that any had been found since his arrival over three years ago.