Royal Navy Divers Tackle Speared Torpedo

Royal Navy divers have destroyed a test torpedo which had been speared by the anchor of a merchant vessel.

The historic piece of machinery had been pierced by the anchor and dragged up from the 15-meter depth at which it had lain.

A Portsmouth-based Diving Unit were dispatched, and immediately evacuated the vessel’s crew - with six remaining on board to fight any fired that may have broken out.

Officer in Charge of the Portsmouth-based Southern Diving Unit Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Campbell said:

“The tanker was carrying approximately 1000 tonnes of fuel or oil.

 “The fuel cargo was pumped into the aftermost possible tanks to reduce the effects of any explosion, and fire hoses were charged and ready to deploy if needed.

“We directed the ship to use her other anchor to steady her, before lowering the fouled anchor, and the torpedo, to several metres below the waterline.”

The Explosive Ordnance Device Specialists used their expertise to remove the torpedo safely.

Lt Cdr Campbell said of the operation:

“EOD Operators are obliged to treat these items as ‘live’ and hazardous until it can be disproved otherwise.

“The entire job was conducted in this way.  Working parts inside the torpedo could be seen from where the anchor fluke had ruptured it.

“The entire bomb disposal team were professional and got on with the job in hand.”

Once the torpedo had been safely removed, it was lowered to the seabed and destroyed.

The torpedo was a British made device, believed to have come from a test range that existed for Portland until the 1980s, and which unknown up to that point.

Whilst they vary in the type of hazard they represent, test torpedo can contain highly flammable propellant.