During the many operational activities carried out in the maritime police sector by divers from the naval station of the Guardia di Finanza of Civitavecchia, a military device camouflaged between the posidonia and the rocks of the seabed of the municipality of Tarquinia (VT ).
The financiers, thanks to the help of special metal detectors, have tracked down a cylindrical metal artifact measuring 70 cm. Approximately in length and a diameter of 30 cm., Visually covered with marine concretions.
The peculiarity of the discovery immediately led to the hypothesis that it was a plane bomb of about 250 pounds, evidently dormant for decades in the sea area called "the salt pans".
The prefecture of Viterbo was immediately alerted and ordered the urgent intervention of the divers of the Dementing Unit for the Defense of Insidious Anti-Vehicles (SDAI) of La Spezia of the Underwater Command and Raiders of the Navy (COMSUBIN), to secure and free usability of the body of water concerned.
The bomb, located at a depth of about 10 meters in a coastal point affected by fishing activities, turned out to be an American "mkii miii" type aircraft bomb, containing 161 kg of TNT, dating back to the massive bombings conducted by the allied forces During the Second World War.
The SDAI operators, with the help of lifting balloons, harnessed and removed the device from the seabed which was subsequently transported to a safety area, identified together with the competent maritime authority. All the phases of recovery and transport of the bomb were followed and assisted by the naval means of the naval station of the Guardia di Finanza, which guaranteed the necessary safety framework for the operations.
The activities carried out by the divers of the Navy took place in full compliance with the consolidated procedures aimed at neutralizing the dangerousness of the bomb by destroying it with a special explosive counter-charge.
The delicate underwater operations of localization, recognition, removal and destruction carried out in the waters in front of Tarquinia lido, took place in perfect synergy between the underwater component of the Navy and the Guardia di Finanza and saw the participation of the patrol boats of the Civitavecchia Maritime Directorate.
All the recovery activities took place in respect of the marine ecosystem and its preservation, putting in place every precaution to avoid damage to things and people.
It is good to remind anyone who finds objects that, due to their shape and size, can lead to an explosive device or parts of it, that these artifacts can be very dangerous and therefore must not be touched or tampered with in any way. For this reason it is hoped that in such circumstances a report of the discovery will be immediately filed with the nearest police office or the local Harbor Master's Office, so as to allow the intervention of Navy specialists in order to restore the safety conditions of our sea or of inland waters, be they lakes or rivers.
