US Navy explosive ordnance disposal technicians joined forces with the Latvian Navy Diving Unit to remove unexploded ordnance from the wreck of the World War II–era German cargo ship Ilmenau off Liepaja.
The operation, part of the BALTOPS 25 exercise, had the objective of locating, recovering and safely disposing of the historic shells. Unfortunately, shifting sediment, corrosion and fluctuating Baltic Sea currents had raised the risk of munitions coming to the surface. This would have caused substantial threats to port operations, commercial projects, and diver safety.
During the operation, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 8, based in Rota, Spain, operating under Navy Expeditionary Forces Europe-Africa, joined Latvian Navy EOD divers to neutralize more than 50 munitions via controlled underwater detonations.
Many of the shells lay adjacent to the wreck’s deteriorating hull or were scattered around its perimeter. Over the two-week operation, the teams also cleared obsolete underwater structures and assisted in the construction of a boat slipway.
BALTOPS 25 brought together 16 NATO and partner nations, involving 40 ships, 25 aircraft, and 9,000 personnel over two weeks of intensive, integrated training across the Baltic region.
A little further away in the Channel Islands, UK Royal Navy clearance divers intervened to remove a WWII unexploded munition after a recreational diver found it. The diver found the event in Jersey’s Bouley Bay, and Royal Navy divers removed the projectile to a safe location for disposal.
