Bomb Squad Detonates World War II-Era Rockets Found On Nantucket Beach

Several World War II-era rockets were discovered in an eroding dune in Tom Nevers early this month, prompting a visit from the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad, which conducted a controlled explosion "to mitigate the hazard."

The military munitions were discovered by Nantucket Conservation Foundation executive director Cormac Collier.

The Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad, in partnership with personnel from Massachusetts Department of Fire Services Troop D, the Nantucket Fire Department, and the U.S. Navy's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 12, identified the devices as several WWII-era rockets "that were used in training exercises but still posed a hazard. Bomb technicians conducted a controlled explosion to mitigate the hazard and released the scene to local and state officials."

Numerous unexploded ordnances have been discovered over the years around the old Tom Nevers Navy, which has been designated the "Nantucket Ordnance Site Munitions Response Site" under the management of the Army Corps of Engineers.

"The U.S. Government leased the site between 1943 and 1946 for use as a practice aerial rocket range," the Army Corps states on its web site. "This was one of three ranges on Nantucket used by Navy pilots for training purposes. The site is divided into two MRSs: the Aerial Rocket Range Target #1 and the Aerial Rocket Range Fan.