Navy detonates mine spotted floating in Puget Sound near Naval base

BROWNSVILLE, Wash. — Coast Guard officials responded Tuesday afternoon to reports of an unexploded mine floating in the Puget Sound east of Brownsville Marina in Kitsap County.

Officials said a 1,500-yard safety zone was established around the rusty, round object, which had rods protruding from it, as it drifted south.

TRENDING NOW:

A 5,000-foot temporary flight restriction zone was also established in the area as investigators and divers examined the ordnance.

A photo of the rusty, floating mine in Puget Sound. (Photo: KIRO7)

Brownsville is located a few miles south of Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport's torpedo testing range.

An inspection of the object showed decades of marine growth, according to The Associated Press.

The Navy secured the mine with a long line and began towing it Tuesday afternoon with a small boat, the AP reported.

Emergency alerts and warnings went out to residents to leave the shoreline or shelter in place.
Residents and boaters evacuated from the area looked on as officials detonated the explosive.

The Navy says the inert training mine was part of a 2005 underwater training exercise near Naval Base Kidsap.

The exercise was an opportunity to demonstrate various unmanned underwater vehicles and their capability to detect underwater objects and avoid submerged obstacles.

The Navy says the mine, which looked like something out of a World War II movie, was inert, but it still posed a hazard to navigation.

The mine was eventually blown up by a Navy explosive ordnance team.

KIRO7, CNN, NBC and Cox Media Group Producer Shelby Lin Erdman contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group