A coalition of U.S., Canadian and other allied navy divers recently took part in Operation Open Spirit, during which they searched for unexploded mines from World Wars I and II in waters off the Lithuanian coast.
Last May, the divers found and disposed of several old German mines and torpedoes in waters less than 5 nautical miles/9.26 kilometers from Klaipeda Harbor.
Each year the operation shifts between the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Canadian divers found one mine, which they exploded via remote detonation.
Canadian Petty Officer Second Class Clearance Diver Evan Beaton told the Global News:
“The mines are packed with high explosives and the whole point of them was to take down a whole ship in WWI and WWII, so to have a diver in the vicinity would be catastrophic if it went off.”
Check out the Global News story for more information on the operation.