Not Everything is Recyclable (Bomb squad called after someone left 155mm. howitzer round @dump)

SeattleCrime.com ^ | January 4, 2009 | Jonah Spangenthal-Lee

[Stoat]

Not Everything is Recyclable

 

By Jonah Spangenthal-Lee

 

 

Seattle police shut down several streets in Wallingford and called out the bomb squad this morning

 

 

 

after staff at the North Seattle Transfer Station found that someone had tried to dispose of explosives at the facility.

The call came in around 9:45 after an employee reported that they'd found a live 155mm round—like those used in Howitzer cannons—in a recycling bin.

The bomb squad recovered the explosives and police reopened the streets around the facility shortly before 10 a.m.

And now I think we can all agree that recycling and terrorism are practically the same thing.

[Stoat]

Thank you very much for pinging your list and assisting with spreading the message about the importance of recycling...I keep hoping that algore might take it upon himself to make a film where he personally demonstrates the proper methods of recycling live military ordnance...particularly the more unstable stuff :-)

 

[Stoat]

UPDATE from SeattleCrime.com:

 

Update 11:30 a.m.— We're trying to confirm whether the dump is still closed. SPD says they've reopened the streets around the facility, but the department also called in the Explosive Ordinance Disposal team from Ft. Lewis and they're apparently still at the scene. We've heard that folks are being turned away from the dump while bomb techs are on-scene, but neither SPD nor Seattle Public Utilities—which runs the transfer station—could confirm.

[Stoat]

Update from KOMOTV:

Dump workers find live cannon round in recycling Wallingford News

(edit)

Seattle Police closed nearby streets and called in their bomb squad after the call came in at 8:45 a.m., Det. Mark Jamieson said.

The bomb squad secured the scene, but police called a Dept. of Defense explosives team from Ft. Lewis to take over because it is a military explosive.

"They’re kind of the subject matter experts on that," Jamieson said. "If it was some other type of explosive, we’d probably handle it."

Jamieson said he's not sure if the artillery round has yet been removed from the dump, but, he said, "Nobody is in any danger. It has been rendered safe."

He said he's not sure how the workers were able to correctly identify the exact type explosive, which is typically used in cannons, but they apparently knew their stuff.

"They told us and we confirmed it," he said.

 

[Slings and Arrows]

I keep hoping that algore might take it upon himself to make a film where he personally demonstrates the proper methods of recycling live military ordnance...

He's the expert.

[Verbosus]

Years ago when I was much, much younger - I moved into an
apartment and found a box of 12ga. shotgun shells on the
top shelf of a linen closet.

Since I had a 12 gauge I kept them with intents of using them, but never did.

I still have them to this day, as I am not sure what to do with them since I don’t want to shoot them. I always shot the shells I bought.

What do you do with ammo like that?
Is it safe to use if you don’t know the age at all?

[matt1234]

You mean they wouldn’t accept it in curb-side recycling?

[Harold Shea]

I was scared to death of those big flares,really careful
when I fired one off.

Remember seeing those big shells along the side of the road
where they had fallen off the 2 1/2 tns.Even the g**ks left
them alone.

[Stoat]

UPDATE from Seattle Police Department:

SPD Blotter » Live ‘Smoke Projectile’ found in dumpster

 

Live ‘Smoke Projectile’ found in dumpster

 

On 01-04-2010 at 9:30 a.m., a dumpster was being emptied at a Transfer Station in the 1300 block of  N 34 St.  In the debris the employees found an ‘OD green-colored’ 155 millimeter Howitzer round. 

Arson Bomb Detectives responded to the scene.  The US Army Explosive Technicians out of Fort Lewis was notified and responded.

It was determined the artillery round (a M116) originated and was manufactured in 1951, and was in fact a live ‘Smoke Projectile’ complete with a small bursting charge. The projectile was secured by the US Army Technicians and returned to the military base for proper disposal.

[Stoat]

I wonder how long that thing has been kicking around.

From the update at post #28:

It was determined the artillery round (a M116) originated and was manufactured in 1951,

[GonzoGOP]

Not as bad as it could have been, but 59 year old high explosives are never a good thing. Artillery needs to have a use by date.

God created everything for a reason, Taliban are for getting rid of ammo before it goes bad.

[Stoat]

What do you do with ammo like that?
Is it safe to use if you don’t know the age at all?

A quick web search yielded these answers:

Frequently Asked Questions  (Cartridgecollectors.org)

Is old ammunition safe to shoot?
    We cannot answer that, even if we see the ammunition.  While it may be a desirable collector item, it may be useless for the shooter. Primers can lose (or increase) their sensitivity, propellant charges can deteriorate and fail to burn or burn improperly.  Cartridge cases may become brittle and split or rupture when fired.  Bullets may become stuck in cases from reaction between different types of metals, or they may change physical dimensions from oxidation or chemical reactions.  Age, storage conditions, temperature extremes, and original manufacturing practices may vary greatly and two similar cartridges stored under different conditions may or may not be equally  suitable for use.  Old ammunition should be saved only as collector items, not for actual use.  It is better to spend a few dollars on new ammunition than to risk a misfire or worse which might damage a valuable gun (or the shooter) by using old ammunition of questionable condition.

Google Answers Disposing of old shot gun shells

(edit)

Most law enforcement agencies have a policy in place that provides for
the collection and destruction of dangerous materials such as
ammunition, biohazards, chemicals, etc. Call your local law
enforcement agency and explain that you have some old DAMAGED AND
POSSIBLY UNSTABLE ammunition that you would like to turn in for
disposal. They will, most likely, accept it and may even come out and
collect it directly from your home.
 

(edit)

[Stoat]

GREAT picture...just amazing, thanks! :-)

[Robert A Cook PE]

when i was a 107mm mortar platoon leader at grafenwoehr BRD in ‘76 i had a 108mm round that would not fit down the tube. tried to turn it into eod and they asked if it was defective. i said it wouldn’t fit in the tube. they replied yes but is it defective?

Confuseus say, “One who loads mortar shells in tube turned for end often end up without an end on either end.”

[Stoat]

You mean they wouldn’t accept it in curb-side recycling?

I would imagine that the owner was concerned that it would be an extra-charge item or that he would be fined for placing it in the wrong container ;-)

"wink"

[Robert A Cook PE]

Well, yes, but your research still didn’t answer the question: “Is (was) this 155 mm bullet (er, cannonshell) “safe to shoot?”

After all, one would not to squander unnecessarily the rare opportunity to shoot this down at the ole skeet range, would you?

[Stoat]

Artillery needs to have a use by date.
 

I wonder if the military uses RFID chips to track these like your local grocery story uses them to track food and other merchandise?

I would imagine that their inventory methods have improved a bit since 1951....or at least I sincerely hope so ;-)

[Stoat]

In all fairness, the original question from FReeper Verbosus was about 12-gauge shotgun shells but even though I would LOVE to fire one of these 155mm shells, whether a smoker or any other, the notion of its age causing it to rupture the barrel would tend to give me pause.....I’ve heard that large pieces of shrapnel can be difficult to remove from certain body regions....

I’m usually not the “hold muh beer an’ watch this!” sort of guy, as witnessed by my full original complement of fingers and no major scarring ;-)

[patton]

Grafenwoehr - done that. Check.

Upside-down mortor round - done that. Check.

You never saw a range get so quiet. Range NCO from behind a bunker - “Pick up the tube and shake it!”

Me - “WTFO?”

[Slings and Arrows]

You’re welcome. I get the feeling that for Gore, licking the flagpole once wasn’t enough.

[Retain Mike]

The flares I thought about stealing were an aluminum tube about 1.5 inches wide and 16 inches long. We had a case of them on the bridge of our ship when on station off the river mouth. To light it off you took off the cap, placed it on the other end, and then hit that end with your palm. When I and other officers had OOD bridge watches on boring nights, we often set one off on the port side, which was away from the Captain’s stateroom. We never got any questions from other ships in the area about what the he?? we thought we were doing. The Captain had to notice there were fewer flares in the wooden case each day, but never made a comment. He was a great leader and always picked the right issues. We operated with running lights at night and were well out of range of any ordinance the VC could send our way.