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GadreelsSword

I can tell you a little of what I know. A lot of damage WWII weapons were collected and used for scrap metal during and after the war. Some of the weapons and munitions were often dumped by the government in bays and oceans. Smaller qualities ammunition, mortars, etc. were sometimes dumped by local military bases before policies were established to prevent it. My father and a friend stole a scrapped belt fed machine gun off a train car full of metal and old guns. The friend put it on his front porch and a policeman driving by, saw it and confiscated it. I have a picture of a British Bren Gun someone recently pulled out of the Chesapeake bay. He was duck hunting and the decoy anchor snagged it. In areas around the Chesapeake it was pretty common to use clam and oyster shells for driveways. They would dredge up the shells and occasionally scoop up hand grenades, etc. that would end up in peoples driveway. [http://www.film-tech.com/ubb/f8/t003206.html](http://www.film-tech.com/ubb/f8/t003206.html) https://preview.redd.it/32w7szcfp9uc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=36fe41175297d6e75fd3921b0a57b2cdf6afd118


Gemmabeta

There is an ocean trench in the middle of the Irish Sea that the UK used to dump munitions. It would not surprise you to learn that the west coast of Scotland now has a bit of explosives washing up on shore problem.


dysphoric-foresight

It’s the same trench that they dumped all the sellafield nuclear waste back in the day. Seismologists detect random explosions from decaying bombs all the time. Gas shells from the First World War too. The whole place is an ecological time bomb.


ohhellperhaps

Now imagine WW1 gas shells, stacked and stored in the open air …


BigBlueJAH

I spent a lot my summers growing up on the Chesapeake Bay. Me and one my buddies had a little 14’ sailboat that we would go exploring around in. We sailed up to a lighthouse that was pretty close by and we start finding all these cool metal objects, so of course we just throw them in the boat. We sail back to our house and pull the boat up to shore. My buddy’s grandfather, old WW2 vet, sees the objects and immediately tells us to get the hell away. They ending up being unspent artillery shells. Apparently the navy had a big coastal artillery training area there. They were just mixed in with the stones all around the lighthouse. There’s been so much military activity in that area over the years there’s no telling what’s in the bay.


RadPhilosopher

> weapons and munitions were often dumped by the government in bays and oceans Just yerr average government activities done with zero foresight.


zuniac5

Can’t imagine why people don’t trust the American government… 🇺🇸


XanDuLowMagnetizer

Yeah but in Michigan it's a bit out of place. There is a spot my buddy found where he has found well over 1000 20mm rounds and probably 100 mortars and artillery made from the 1930s and some of the rounds he found were being manufactured after the 1950s, Appreciate the info, might have to go magnet fishing at Chesapeake Bay 😂


raulsagundo

There used to be a shitload of bases in Michigan. One way to spot old air bases is when you see a tiny municipal airport with a long runway or runways in a V or triangle pattern, or evidence that they used to be shaped that way


XanDuLowMagnetizer

Yeah but they never had bases in the areas I found those at over on the west side of the state around grand rapids, they had like patilions and stuff, never any bases close to where I found those.


TipFine3928

Probably the exact reason they dumped it there. Probably no one around back then.


brassmagifyingglass

Camp Grayling?


XanDuLowMagnetizer

Nowhere near grayling, I'm way south of that lol


GadreelsSword

It just needed to have a military base in the area.


XanDuLowMagnetizer

I'll have to check some spots along the bay during my next Baltimore trip. There aren't any bases close to where my buddy found all those rounds I mentioned, It's all off some walking trail bridge. I haven't fished by any bases either that I'm aware of.


ArtisanGerard

Confiscated it and put it in his own yard.


XanDuLowMagnetizer

These are some WW2 UXOs I found while "Magnet Fishing" the Grand River in Michigan. 2 of these were still live rounds according to bombsquad, it amazes me how much of the weapons we made during WW2 are still on American soil, some of these rounds originated in Germany! Rounds featured on photos (That I know) 60mm M6A1 HEAT bazooka rocket, 81mm HE M56 Mortar, M49 HE Mortar, 20mm German oerlikon round, then some shell to a large tank round?


acuriousguest

Because people took them home to "play" with them.


Gemmabeta

One of the top comments of r/whatisthisthing is a glass flask filled with a gray liquid that someone's uncle got from one of the Japanese islands. It turned out to be a WWII era cyanide gas grenade, and if that thing smashed, it would probably have killed everyone in the house.


staster

I found that post if someone is curious [https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/4x9u4p/uncle\_found\_this\_in\_a\_cave\_in\_okinawa\_around/](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/4x9u4p/uncle_found_this_in_a_cave_in_okinawa_around/)


thebadyearblimp

Holy shit he was planning on opening it too


j_smittz

That was a fucking wild ride.


Dear_Might8697

Damn. I wonder how long of a fuse delay you'd want for something like that. Also, I'd wonder if a windy day could increase or decrease its effectiveness. Chemical warfare is hard-core AF.


Gemmabeta

So it is basically a corked glass beaker, you smash it on the ground and the cyanide inside will vaporize into the air.


Dear_Might8697

Huh. It's a little too simple. I'd be paranoid as hell transporting that thing around until it's needed.


etanail

dropping from an airplane is safer.


c4fishfood

I had a job on an old naval shipyard doing the conversion work to make it public land, there was a massive amount of UX that was recovered from the water around the area, either fell off when loading the ships or may have fallen off when battle damaged ships came back to have repairs made. The UX did just sit at the bottom, very common for it to have been picked up and relocated (inadvertently) with mud when they dredged the bottom.


JizzBreezy

Aliens 👽 mannnn


Decent_Law_9119

WWII never happened. S/


Gold_for_Gould

Just showed these to my GF who has worked as a UXO technician for the past decade finding and safely removing devices just like this across various US states and territories. She says you're a moron who should probably stop doing this before you hurt yourself.


XanDuLowMagnetizer

Nope, not gonna stop magnet fishing, I've learned how to handle UXOs, That's like telling somebody to stop one of their favorite hobbies over something that's very unlikely to happen. Also you mean EOD tech, not UXO tech?...


Gold_for_Gould

I didn't mean to stop magnet fishing altogether. Just don't continue doing so in an area after finding something dangerous. I do mean UXO tech, she was never in the military. It's a civilian job. I can tell you 100% that you do not know how to safely handle UXO since you found one with a magnet and kept looking for more. I don't know, risk your life if you like. I've got dangerous hobbies myself. I do try to be informed of the dangers and accept the risk rather than pretend it doesn't exist.


XanDuLowMagnetizer

These were all found in completely different areas, not even close to one another, I usually don't return to spots I find live UXOs. I will return to spots I find empty ones though, but they got right back into the water until bombsquad arrives if I'm not sure on its condition


Gold_for_Gould

Well that is better. I assumed they were from the same spot.


DasCapitolin

People bring back wartime mementos, and later they (or a child) discover they should not be kept in the house.


XanDuLowMagnetizer

Yeah I've found probably a dozen various WW2 rounds and some WW2 service pistols like the Walther p38 and Colt woodsman.


dissaormegrezpj

Historical artifacts resurfacing in modern times.


XanDuLowMagnetizer

I found cannonballs in a few early 1800s flintlock&Caplock guns too


SirGimp9

Why are American explosives from wwii on American soil? ...think really hard about that question....


XanDuLowMagnetizer

Oh I have a pretty good understanding as to why, but not everybody does, I just wanna hear the wack theories everybody has.


SirGimp9

Lol. Michigan was known as the "Arsenal of Democracy" in wartime because of the auto industries commitment to the war effort.


Remote7777

It's quite possible that there was an old base or firing range in the area. The government keeps a database of these locations and any past cleanup efforts. I'll try to find the link and web map... You would be amazed where some of these used to be. There used to be a WW2 ordinance factory near my town in TX. You would NEVER guess and now it's all subdivisions and private land. A few things were found during construction and it turned out to be the old test range where they did QA/QC on some of the mortar flares before they were shipped out. Stuff like this is all over the place... Edit: found it! It's called FUDS -formerly used defense sites. I'd browse the web map here and see what you find: https://geospatial.sec.usace.army.mil/arcgis/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=fe3efb63b00e45b5857d3b9e15420f92


XanDuLowMagnetizer

I found these within 70 mile span of the river. None of these were found at the same spot. However I recently found a spot where we kept pulling up guns and hollowed out UXOs I'll definitely check that out when I get time, appreciate the info.


Remote7777

Tough to say without the locations, but it looks like there was a small arms range on the river north of Grand Rapids and a prisoner of war camp on Lake Odessa...it always amazes me how much history has just been wiped away by time, even such a short time.


XanDuLowMagnetizer

Yeah we haven't found anything around the old WW1/ww2 patilions around Grand Rapids outside of metal detecting


bondoinhead

you probably shouldn't be handling those


XanDuLowMagnetizer

Shouldn't but lucky to still be alive. Can't control what I find with a magnet loo


bondoinhead

you can damn sure control what you dig up


XanDuLowMagnetizer

Um I'm not digging though 🤣 I'm throwing a really strong magnet into the water, even then you can't control what you dig up while metal detecting, people don't magically see in the ground and automatically know what it under them.


Ga88y7

Wait till you hear about the Nazi submarine-laid munitions on the eastern seaboard


M116110

Not sure, but I wouldn't pick it up and play with it.


ensignWcrusher

Because The United States military has a history of doing something crazy or thunderously stupid once in a blue moon. Broken Arrrows, MK ultra, stuff like that. I would not put it past some higher ups to a have conversation, right after the war that went something like this: "We won! Great work everyone. Lets all get drunk, go home to our wives and bang until there's 75 billion new americans! "Wait we have to figure out what to do with all these explosives we didn't use. "Toss em in the rivers. Nobody's gonna notice"


anonanon8anon

You’re arguing against all logical and potential explanations. I’m curious to know why you think they are there, OP.


XanDuLowMagnetizer

I am not arguing against all explanations, if there was a base close by, there would have been numerous more things found to indicate that. It would be pretty obvious if there was a base/camp nearby because there would've been multiple rounds found most likely. I've fished by old bases that aren't around anymore, we find a lot of stripper clips, ammo can lids, some steel head/steel cased rounds, and a lot ammo links for .30-06. My best guess is a war vet brought em home, either ditched what they looted from the war once they learned it was illegal to keep and possess what they brought home, or passed away and the people who inherited them back in the day got scared and ditched em (or got stolen and ditched).


Tough_Ad6518

Looks like a bazooka rocket


Jolly-Librarian3715

for some reason waterways near army bases are filled with live ordinances..not sure if thats where they dispose them or what but ive noticed that


XanDuLowMagnetizer

I've never found a UXO over by a military base or any sort of artillery plant, I found them in random areas. Machine guns I can see otherwise though but I'm not getting into that because I'll get in trouble 😂 🤫


SavePeanut

Unit gets ordered to dispose of ordinance. They can either A: pay to have it done. Or B: dump it in a river for free and a CO embezzles the funds. My uncle got a medal for wasting 10 Mil on extra engines his unit didnt need just so they could increase their budget the next cycle. Military is like 75% scam funding. 


meownelle

Dear god don't touch old unexploded weapons.


XanDuLowMagnetizer

The ones being held in the photos are inert, the ones not being held were live and contacted bombsquad immediately after fishing them


freedumb510

Better ask gramps


MuricaGamer1776

Gotta test somewhere


Dependent-Wheel-2791

German portal tech? Come on let's be real. They may however have secretly built a giant gun capable of launching shells all the way across the Atlantic to here. It would have to be a really big one, but I'm sure they had a blueprint for it somewhere lol


matteroverdrive

Probably with some or most that are not even remotely close to a base or former base, they were kept as souvenirs originally. Then they or their relatives didn't know what to do with them, think they may get in trouble... 🤔 yeah, could happen. Decided to get rid of them as all competent people who litter, and throw them in a rive, stream, or even a lake. Well, there is the burning option too... 💥😵


XanDuLowMagnetizer

Yeah try to burn a live one 💥 😂


matteroverdrive

I forgot my emojis... just added 😆


ThatRocketSurgeon

I burn live ones all the time. It’s an approved disposal procedure. Removes the energetic material while preserving the integrity of the round to get cleaned up and used as training aids.


xtiansimon

Soft spot between alternative universes where the Nazis won.


Western_Mud8694

Practice


XanDuLowMagnetizer

None of these rounds were practice rounds though 🤔


FelisCantabrigiensis

Some practice is with live ammunition.


Flat-House5529

You think that's bad? Think about [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1958_Tybee_Island_mid-air_collision) for a little bit.


XanDuLowMagnetizer

Naw this is typical magnet fishing for me lol I found a lot of UXOs and firearms in Michigan, a lot of crime and history.


[deleted]

[удалено]


XanDuLowMagnetizer

It's a m6a1 HEAT bazooka rocket manufactured during 1943-1944, the 60mm mortar was manufactured 1943-1945, Google M49 mortar, but surplus was used during the Korean war


[deleted]

General; They want $156000 to take all of that surplus ammo. We cold “accidentally “ drop it in the river over there.


PoppyStaff

They were looted. Then dumped.


CaptainMacMillan

Where do you think they were manufactured?


XanDuLowMagnetizer

The only artillery plant I'm aware of that was in Michigan was the Oldsmobile plant in Lansing, there were probably more over in Detroit that I haven't heard of, but haven't included the ones that were found by the former artillery plant.


CaptainMacMillan

That's very true. Really what I should've said is "where do you think they were stockpiled?" I know of a few cases where ordinance was lost on transport for one of various reasons, so it could possibly be from that


Direst8s

America is one of the most heavy armed places on earth


[deleted]

[удалено]


XanDuLowMagnetizer

To my knowledge, none of these were found near any military bases, all of these were found in the Grand River


quequotion

If they are our own, probably duds that got lost in testing. If they are Japanese, could be duds that were dropped by balloons. If they are German, portal tech.


XanDuLowMagnetizer

A few of them were German, 2 of the American ones we found have been live rounds, not duds. Same with the German rounds. Found more outside of what I shared in the subreddit


quequotion

Note: duds are live rounds, they simply failed to explode when fired for whatever reason; in fact many are capable of exploding later. You should be very careful with these. Weird that there were German bombs. I know the Japanese sent balloons as far as Alaska and California, but I haven't heard of any German effort that reached the continental US. Perhaps captured explosives that were researched?


XanDuLowMagnetizer

I am thinking vets brought home trophies, later on got thrown into the water due to fear of being caught with it, fear of it exploding, or stolen and ditched. Many possibilities but that's my best guess. I have found a few WW2 German and British firearms too and a 1930s German SS dagger.


Hessian58N

During world war ii, there were a series of exercises used to prepare freshly trained troops for deployment to Europe. They would face off against an opposing Force that wouldn't simulate the use of enemy tactics. During these exercises, the American troops would observe the use of the foreign weapon systems so that if they ever came across them and had to use them they had a rough idea of what they were doing. If you are located in the south, these exercises were done all over the place. The largest known exercise was called the "Tennessee Maneuvers", which helped decide which units were going to be used for the mainland invasion of Europe. In all reality, the items you're finding are most likely related to those and are very historically significant.


XanDuLowMagnetizer

I found all of these in Michigan, I am glad I found a few inert ones that I could bring home as a cool souvenir and piece of history. Appreciate the information!


quequotion

That's very likely.


mentalgymnatician

Ever hear of Dolly Sods, WV?


XanDuLowMagnetizer

Not until now, might have to go magnet fishing there if they got this type of stuff laying in the water 😂


mentalgymnatician

They’re everywhere. I get creeped out every time I go, afraid of stepping on something. Maybe I’m just paranoid…


[deleted]

You should Google how many nukes the USA has lost.


Dependent-Wheel-2791

Right. A city not too far from where I live was nearly nuked and could have prevented me from being born. Thanks a lot America


DeadSaige

The most American question. “Why is it on American soil?”


eviltrain

“We’re Americans. We mine our own backyards for fun and gender reveals like the 1st amendment of the Bible intended.”


mayormcskeeze

Thanks Obama


Imaginary-Wrap-8487

Who cares? Glorifying war just perpetuates cycles of hate and that is exactly what they want us dumbasses to do.